Artificial Mirror
by Victory3114
Summary: Kirito, a solo player who has traversed the passage of life unaccompanied. He has never built any ties, preferring the freedom of solitude. Until he meets one who is like him, one without memories, one who reminds him of himself before he traveled down this path of desolation. And from then on, things change. For the better or for the worse?
1. Prologue: Will

Prologue: Will

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I have been ready ever since I started development on Sword Art Online."

The only source of light in the dark room came from a bank of computer screens, each crawling with lines of computer coding. Keys clacked repeatedly as the fingers upon them typed in the finalized commands. A yawn, then a sigh came from the figure resting in the high-backed chair in front of the console. It twitched, easing itself into a more comfortable sitting position.

"This is part of my dream. To create a perfect world. A perfect world needs its inhabitants, does it not?"

"Of course it does, but this… this is excessive."

A pause. "Are you referring to my little side project, or the players?"

"Little side project, hah... I am referring to both. You're breaking many laws... moral or otherwise."

"Don't worry. TAIC will account for individuality. They won't be exactly the same."

"That's not very reassuring. Also, you have not tested this yet. Won't there be any interference or bugs with the system if you installed it?"

The voice sounded hopeful.

The sound of the keyboard ended abruptly, and the chair swiveled around.

Koujiro Rinko squinted as the movement of the chair momentarily allowed the computer backlight to shine into her eyes. As a result of the light behind the chair, she could only vaguely make out the features of the man in it.

The man she had to kill, to save ten thousand lives.

The features on the man's shadowed face shifted into a wry smile. "There won't be. I have already checked every part of the code many times. There is no interference with any part of the game. Sword Art Online is the perfect test ground for this."

"So you really are going to kill those who die in-game?" Rinko asked. "And those who's NerveGears are interfered with?"

The smile flickered and disappeared. "I already have. So far…." The chair swiveled back towards the counter, and 3 seconds of clicking followed. "…134 players have already died. By in-game death or outside interference."

Rinko gripped the knife hidden in her pocket tightly. _This is it_, she thought. _I have to do this. Before he kills any more, I have to do this._

A frosty silence hung in the air.

"You're thinking of attacking me, aren't you, Koujiro," the man in the chair murmured. "with the knife you have in your pocket…"

Rinko jerked back in surprise, then regained her composure. "It's only right. You're about to finalize the part of Sword Art Online that would cause the death of a thousand people."

"Not even close. I estimate over two thousand will die in the first month alone. Ah," the man regarded one of the screens, "there goes another one. 135 now."

"All the more reason to end this right now. To save all those innocent lives."

The man's voice suddenly became almost inaudible. "But can you?"

"What?" Rinko stepped closer.

"Can you lift your sword, and thrust it into my flesh? In other words, can you kill?"

Rinko had no response.

"Killing isn't such an easy thing," lectured the man, "Koujiro. You take the entire being of a person, their thoughts, their dreams, and their future, away from them. Death is final. It is the point of no return… killing really depends on strength of will; I have an ambition far more important to me than other lives… I have the will to kill, to achieve my goals, for my world. What about you?"

Rinko stayed silent, thinking. _Of course I do! I have to do this. He's about to kill so many people… so many innocents._

Yet, her hand refused to raise the blade.

_Why! There's no reason not to!_

"Do you have the courage?" whispered the man. "Do you have the will to do so?"

Another frosty 5 seconds passed. Neither person moved.

Then the man sighed. "Well, I am going to write and finalize the code into the server, boot up the TAIC, and lock the servers to further interference. This is your last chance to save all those players." A pause. "Three more. 138."

Rinko made no move. Then she whispered, "I have to stop you. I have to..."

The man studied her figure for a full half minute, then turned his back on her and began typing. The sound of clacking keys filled the room.

"There. It is done." The man pushed himself away from the desk, and turned again to face Rinko. "You've lost your chance."

The knife dropped from Rinko's fingers, burying itself into the hardwood floor. Reiko herself didn't move.

The man stood up from the chair and walked over to Reiko. He gently laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Now that we have established that you won't kill me... will you help me?"

Reiko's voice came out strained. "Why... should I help someone like you, who has signed the death sentence of 10,000 people?"

A smile appeared on his face. "Because I will join their ranks."

"What!" Reiko's head snapped up. "What do you mean?!"

The man regarded her curiously. "I mean what I mean. I will join the players of Sword Art Online." He made a bemused sound. "My perfect world, complete with death, and I don't get to experience it myself? What is the point in that?"

Reiko said nothing, staring at him with a suspicious expression.

He sighed, then said, "Please take care of me while I FullDive, Koujiro." He walked out of the room into the hallway.

"And thank you."

As soon as the door closed behind him, Reiko fell to her knees. The tears began to flow.

_I couldn't do it, _She thought. _I don't have the will to kill._

_I'm sorry... I couldn't save you all..._

_I didn't have the will... to stop Kayaba Akihiko._

_Now... it's too late._

* * *

Quickly pushing the matter of Koujiro Reiko out of her mind, Kayaba Akihiko quickly stepped through another door, into a dimly lit room. The room's only furnishings were a cot and a bedside table. What was important, though, was the bulky helmet resting on the bed, connected by various cables to an internet uplink port.

Kayaba stretched leisurely as he reclined on the cot. He picked up the helmet.

_Finally. My dream shall be realized._

The NerveGear rattled as Kayaba's hands shook. Noticing this, he took several deep breaths to calm himself down. It wouldn't do for the players to see an excited administrator proclaiming their possible deaths. _Oh, this guy enjoys killing! He must be a mass murderer or something! _Nope, that wouldn't do. It would defy the nature of his goals.

_Despite what people would think,_ Kayaba thought, _my aim isn't to kill people. My will is to create the perfect world._

_And every world needs death._

With that last thought, he donned the helmet and reclined on the cot.

He opened his mouth.

"Link Start."

A colorful array of shapes and streaks passed before his vision, and he felt his virtual body reorient itself from a resting position to a vertical one.

After the usual introductory logo and connection check, Kayaba found himself floating in darkness, with several options floating in the air in front of him. He immediately selected the Sword Art Online link.

Everything disappeared, and Kayaba was drifting alone in the void.

"Cardinal," he intoned, "have you selected the subject for the TAIC project?"

In response, several windows popped up in front of him. 3 in total, one occupied by a picture, the other two with information.

"Hmm." Kayaba studied the picture of a young man, with messy black hair and a slightly feminine face. The name underneath read _Kirito_.

_Kirito, huh... I remember him. One of the best players during the beta, if I recall correctly. _

Looking down to the next window, Kayaba's estimate was confirmed as he viewed Kirito's beta stats, items, and login times. Even now, having played on his new character for only a few hours, he only needed 40% experience to reach level 2.

_He's quite dedicated to this game... _Yes,_ he will do nicely._

"Choice accepted, Cardinal. Run the program."

The windows shrunk, storing themselves in a corner, and a loading bar appeared in their place. It slowly but surely began to fill up. 1%...2%...

Kayaba smiled to himself.

"Congratulations Kirito. You should feel honored to be the basis for the first TAIC."

He made a swishing motion with his hand. A translucent keyboard popped up, as well as the login screen for Sword Art Online:

LOGIN ID:

PASSWORD:

Kayaba typed Bob, the name of his anonymous moderator account, into the ID Box. For the password, a long string of alphanumerical characters was inserted. Thinly smiling at the simplicity of the ID, he hit the enter key.

The screen vanished, and the loading icon, an hourglass, appeared in its place. Emblazoned in medieval font, LOGGING IN was displayed over it.

The sand in the hourglass quickly fell to the bottom, and Kayaba's vision cleared. He opened his eyes to witness the entirety of Starting City, the biggest town in Aincrad. Kayaba was floating directly above the center of the town, giving him a bird's eye view in every direction. Of course, he was not visible to anyone; it would cause quite a stir to find a floating man in the middle of the city.

Starting City was a circular city built around the main plaza. Themed upon an old medieval city, the buildings were not built quite tall; the only structures over a single story were the central clock tower and the Black Iron castle, as well as the arches enclosing the plaza. Surrounded by thick, stone walls that could defend against any monster on the first floor, the city could house well over six thousand people. It also contained numerous parks, including several lakes. It had taken Kayaba a long time to design the entire complex. Now looking over the whole city from a beautiful viewpoint, he felt the time he put into it was worth it.

Quickly, he called up the moderator menu and selected the Mass Recall option, selecting "ALL PLAYERS", as well as designating the target as the plaza below.

A warning chime resonated throughout the entire first floor of Aincrad.

"Ding... Ding... Ding..."

Almost immediately, blue teleport pillars formed in the plaza, crowding it until the area was packed to the maximum. Cries of surprise echoed as Kayaba deployed and checked a counter; all the current players were in transit. Satisfied, he ended the Recall order.

The pillars faded away, and the diverse group of players all milled around in confusion.

From his height he could barely discern the voices and sounds rising from below. With his administrator privileges, he increased the Scan skill to the maximum, and used the eavesdropping function, closing the menu afterwards.

"Can we log out now?"

"Can't they take care of it quickly?"

"My pizza's gonna get cold!"

Was among the many snippets of conversation Kayaba managed to catch. _So, they have already discovered the missing logout button._

All of a sudden, he felt hesitant. The question, _Should I really do this?_, crossed his mind.

Kayaba shook his head, getting rid of the thought.

_This is for the perfect world. No turning back. _

_This is what I have always wanted._

_This is my will._

An elaborate twist of his hand called the moderator menu back into place. With no further hesitation, Kayaba stabbed at the SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT option.

* * *

Kirito's hand shook, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Kirito! You okay?"

"Argh!..."

It was quite a strange form of pain, as if his insides were swelling up, then suddenly removed. Accompanied by a massive headache, the feeling made Kirito feel like puking his guts out.

All of a sudden, the feeling left Kirito, leaving him curled up in a fetal position on the ground, groaning.

"Kirito!?"

"I... I'm okay..."

A hand entered Kirito's field of vision. Grimacing, he grasped it and, with its help, pulled himself upright.

"You sure you okay? It's not something wrong with the NerveGear, right?" asked the owner of the hand.

Klein, Kirito's newfound friend, had a worried look on his face as he observed Kirito's pained form. His red hair and bandanna, combined with his facial features, gave him a raffish, mischievous look. Eyeing Kirito warily, he scratched his head with one hand as the other sheathed his sword.

However, that was just a _customized character._ Kirito himself had the appearance of a young man in his late teens, with a stern, handsome face. It had annoyed him when people commented on his actual facial features, which were rather feminine.

"N-no... there shouldn't be. The NerveGear has no side effects..." murmured Kirito.

Klein frowned. "For sure, _something's _wrong. You don't just get seizures or something just like that."

Kirito considered his words. "Perhaps... just a freak incident. Maybe due to *ahem* close proximity to you."

"Yeah, yeah, and my sorry butt can beat you in a sword fight."

"Ha-ha. *cough* It should be alright..."

Kirito had almost recovered from the freak seizure by then. He straightened up, and looked around.

The plains area of Aincrad's first floor surrounding the Starting City was one of the largest areas in the floating castle. With the sunset in the distance, the stalks of grass waving in the breeze, and the rustling of the trees, the whole scene looked like it came straight out of a painting. Kirito and his new friend, Klein, appeared to be the only ones around; neither of them could see anyone in any direction. Since they had only just cleared out the area's Blue Boar mobs, the monsters have not had enough time to respawn yet.

Kirito called out the menu. Like before, the Logout option was still missing. He tapped repeatedly where he remembered the button was supposed to be.

"Serious now… Maybe it was a bug, like this missing Logout button. It's the first day of release, at least something is bound to go wrong."

"I seriously hope they fix it soon... So many bugs like these would ruin Sword Art Online's reputation."

Kirito narrowed his eyes as he thought of something. "Argus is supposed to be famous for being very considerate towards its customers. It would be sort of bad for their reputation if there are tons of screw-ups like these on the first day. Speaking of which," Kirito added while checking his menu, "It's been 15 minutes since we've sent the bug report and there still is no response." A pause. "Not even an automated system message."

Klein agreed. "It would really suck for the VRMMO Genre to have its first game fail like this."

They both sighed in unison.

Then Klein suddenly tore at his hair and moaned.

Startled, Kirito dropped his sword. "Klein! What's wrong?" _Is he experiencing the same thing that happened to me?_

Klein groaned out:

"My pizza! It's going to go cold... A cold pizza is not good!"

Kirito's eye twitched. Swiftly reclaiming his fallen sword, he gave his new friend a good thwack on the head with the hilt.

"Ow!"

"Idiot! You actually had me worried!"

"Ding!... Ding!... Ding!..."

Startled, Kirito whirled around and held his blade in a combat stance, before realizing the sound was not that of an attacking Blue Boar, the common mob appearing on the first floor.

It was the sound of a ringing bell. The bell sound had no discernible source nor was not very loud, but it resonated throughout the entire first floor.

"Ah.."

"What's this!"

Both Kirito and Klein shouted out their surprise in unison.

Almost immediately, as if in response to their cries, a blue pillar formed from thin air and enveloped them. It remained there for a second; then dissipated.

For a good 10 seconds, all Kirito could see was blue light in every direction. When the light faded, he wasn't in the plains area anymore.

Instead, he was surrounded on all sides by players. Craning his head, he could see that the enclosure around them was a familiar series of arches. Turning around, Kirito saw the clock tower in the middle of the area. This was the Starting City's Central Plaza.

As for its occupants, players of every size and class could be found. Were he able to see over the heads of those next to him, Kirito bet that the entire plaza would be filled. It seemed like every single player logged on to Sword Art Online had been transported here.

He recognized this phenomenon as the Mass Recall feature. Available only to moderators, it transported everyone within the entered parameters to the target location. It was usually used to evacuate a certain area if a bug was discovered, or if a mod had a very important announcement to make.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed.

Then everyone in the plaza started talking at once.

"What's happening?"

"Can we log out now?"

"Can't they take care of it quickly?"

"My pizza's gonna get cold!"

*THWOP*

"Enough about your pizza!"

"Ahhh..."

Then someone raised his voice to the maximum volume and bellowed, "Everyone... look up!"

Reacting instinctively, everyone obeyed and looked up. At first sight, there was nothing special about the bottom of the second floor. It was a light blue color, streaked with gold from the sun shining in through the side of Aincrad.

Then Kirito squinted his eyes and looked closer. Using his Level 1 Scan skill, he could just make out a small red hexagon, bearing the words, "SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT" directly above the central clock tower.

Immediately after Kirito read the words, the hexagon flickered, then multiplied and spread across the sky like a virus. In seconds, the entire 2nd floor was covered in "SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT" and "WARNING" signs.

The virtual hairs on the back of Kirito's neck rose. The announcement looked innocent enough, but Kirito's instinct was warning him of danger. It told him something was about to go horribly wrong.

Klein, just noticing the message, said, "Ah, then they're going to inform us of the bug fixes?"

"Probably," replied Kritio, his brow furrowed, "but something just doesn't feel right..."

As the rest of the players noticed the announcement, they began to quiet down, expecting a reassuring Game Master to tell them everything was all right.

Nobody expected what came next.

The sunset dimmed. The air grew heavy, and the light took on a shade of red.

From the lines separating the announcement hexagon panels, a viscous liquid began to filter through and drop down. The way the liquid stuck together suggested it was most likely blood, or a some kind of sludge. Instead of falling into the plaza, it collected at a point above the clock tower, slowly forming into a twenty foot tall, hooded figure.

Then Kirito's scan ability kicked in, and he slowly realized that the figure had no face. He could see the green designs at the back of the hood, where it should have been blocked the wearer's head. His eyes traveled to the figure's hands, and quickly realized they were disembodied. The white gloves stood out on their own, not connected to anything.

The robe was the kind that Argus employees and game masters wore during the beta test. The green color and hood design were exactly the same. During the beta, though, the robe and hood were actually occupied by people. Whatever weird combination of hair styles, gender, or nose shapes, they had faces. This one was empty.

The floating figure was essentially an empty robe with gloves. Nothing more.

The silence stretched out for another few frosty seconds. Then people began to murmer:

"Is that a Game Master?"

"Where's its face? I heard they were supposed to have faces..."

"What's going on?"

"You'd better compensate me for my pizza when this is over!"

Kirito decided not to say anything, and simply slammed the hilt of his sword into Klein's head once again.

*THOCK*

"Owww..."

Just then, the hooded figure raised its right arm, as if to point at something. Instantly, all ten thousand players fell silent.

The left arm rose as well, then it spread its arms out as if to hug something. The disembodied gloves became more apparent as the visibly moved away from the dangling sleeves of the robe.

Silence. Nothing moved.

Then a low, firm male voice, resonated throughout the entire first floor of Aincrad.

"Players," it slowly proclaimed with deathly finality, "I welcome you all to my world."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hello! I'm Victory3114, and this is pretty much my first time writing fanfiction ^^  
**

**Plot may conform to the original storyline a little, but there will probably be deviations.  
**

**Soooooo, I'm a newbie here, and some constructive criticism would be nice. Help improve future writing, you know. Please R&R (stands for read and review, right?)  
**

**Thank you all for reading!  
**

**~Vic  
**

**Meh, I nearly forgot... I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters... If I did, I'd be publishing light novels in Japan :P  
**


	2. Chapter 1: Bonds

**Chapter 1: Bonds**

"Now, I have finished the official tutorial for Sword Art Online. Players – I wish you luck."

The hooded, robed figure representing Kayaba Akihiko slowly turned around, addressing that final statement to the whole of the plaza. As the avatar turned to face Kirito's direction, the black-haired swordsman tensed.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Kirito thought that the empty space under the hood stared at him for a little longer, an unnatural pause in the Kayba's rotation. He felt a sense of satisfaction emanate from the creator of Sword Art Online, as if a wry smile had been placed on Akihiko's face.

Kayaba Akihiko slowly rose into the sky. The heads and shoulders of the avatar liquefied as they neared the bottom of the 2nd floor, assimilating into one pool of blood. The rest of the robes followed. Giving off a quick sucking sound, the stain vanished into the hexagonal pattern of SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT messages.

The system messages vanished, leaving behind the blue color of the ceiling. Birds chirped as they flew overhead, and the clock tower gave off a reverberating chime as the hands indicated 6:00 PM.

An eerie silence descended upon the occupants of the square. From the big and bulky axe wielders to the lithe and thin thieves, all the players stood stunned, not wanting to believe what they just heard was true.

A cry echoed through the silence, and the spell was suddenly broken. Everyone began to protest, scream, and run wild at the same time.

"What…. What is this!?"

"It's a joke right...? The hell is this? It's a joke right!?"

"Stop joking around! Let me out! Let me out of here!"

"No! You can't! I've got a big business meeting soon!"

"I don't like this! I'm wanna go home! I want to go home!"

"We… we're really gonna die? I don't wanna die!"

When the last exclamation reached Kirito's ears, his mind abruptly cleared.

_Real death._

If your HP reached zero in game, the NerveGear would fry your brain and stop all your basic functions, thus killing you. Virtual death meant real death.

_This is no longer a game._

The NerveGear has turned from a revolutionary game device to a cage, a trap that held ten thousand people between life and death. Even though he actually couldn't, Kirito thought he could feel the helmet on his head, a crouching insect embracing his head.

Ready to kill him.

_No escape._

"...Klein."_  
_

_"..."  
_Klein simply stood there, mouth slightly agape. As a result of Kayaba's conversion, his previous handsome, youthful face had been replaced by a crooked nose and a small beard.

Kirito himself had reverted to his real life appearance as well. His eyes had turned back to their original black, and his face was once again quite feminine. His hair, customized to be short, now hung between his eyes. His body was no longer as strongly built as before; Kirito probably had lost about 10 pounds in virtual muscle.

In fact, everyone around them looked like they did in reality. All the exotic hair colors from before, such as blue, green, and the like, had disappeared; only black, brown, and the occasional blonde remained.

Disturbingly, some guys were also dressed in female armor.

_This… is reality._

"...Klein!" Kirito repeated, with more force.

Klein's mouth moved. "...pizza."

This time, when Kirito smashed his hilt into Klein's face, a bight purple system effect flashed out, and Klein jerked back. Due to the AREA CODE, Klein's HP didn't decrease one bit.

However, Klein didn't know this yet.

"Hey! You do know you're bringing me closer to my death, right!?"

Kirito's hand shot out, grabbed Klein's collar, and forcefully dragged him out of the plaza. Since they were lucky enough to have been transported to the edge of the plaza, Kirito was quickly able to navigate them both out between the hysterical players. As he passed by a group of young boys sobbing quietly on the ground, crying for their mothers, Kirito's mouth tightened.

When they stepped out onto the street, it was deserted. Nobody else had exited the plaza yet; most of the players were still in there, too distraught to act. Kirito, still dragging Klein, quickly walked halfway down the road.

Kirito looked around. Satisfied that they were alone, he released Klein's collar.

"...Klein. Klein, listen to me." The words came out tense.

Klein, looking slightly punch drunk, stared blankly at Kirito.

"Listen. We have got to get out of this city right now... I'm heading over to the next village, Horunka Village. You should come with me."

Klein didn't say anything, simply gesturing with his hand for Kirito to continue.

"...You know about MMORPGs. It's a battle between players to build up the strongest character... When those in the plaza recover from their shock, they'll most likely begin to hunt all the monsters around starting city. It will take forever for the monsters to respawn... and that would mean people training here would most likely fall behind, and there might even be fights over the experience and col. If we go to the next village, there will be less players, and it'll be easier to train. Even if the average monster level there is 3, I know all their weak spots and any dangerous areas, so we should be fine even though we're still level one."

It was the first time Kirito had talked for such a long time. However, Klein still hesitated.

"...I have some friends that I bought this game with. The five of us... we stood in line all night. They're probably in the plaza right now. I need to help them... I can't just leave them. They're my pals." He looked at Kirito hopefully. "Could you... bring them along?"

"..."

Kirito hesitated. Not because he was against the idea of helping more people, but because having too many people along would make it harder for him to protect them.

If it were just Klein and possibly one more person, Kirito would have been reasonably confident in protecting them from the higher-leveled monsters in Horunka Village. However, with the burden of protecting 6 people, including Klein, Kirito's confidence dropped substantially.

Had Sword Art Online still been a normal game, Kirito would have had no problem taking the entire party along, but with the new rule of death, he wasn't sure he could keep them all alive. Since all revival items and abilities had been disabled, once a man died, he died. There would be no way to bring him back.

If one of Klein's friends died, under his care... it would fall on Kirito to accept the blame of his death. Such a responsibility... Kirito could not handle the idea of it.

Klein studied Kirito's face, reading his hesitation. In an uncharacteristic moment of clarity, he understood why Kirito was hesitating.

"If you don't feel alright, it's okay... I used to be a guildmaster, you know, in the previous game I played. I guess I'll make do with what you've taught me so far. I can't rely on you forever... I have my pride as an adult to uphold, you know." Klein smiled slyly. "So don't worry. I can take care of myself. Go on to the village." He waved his hand. "I'll catch you later."

Still, Kirito hesitated.

Now that it had come to it, he realized that he didn't want to leave Klein. Klein had a light, easygoing personality, and it was clear that he valued his friends. In the short time they had known each other, Kirito found he actually liked the man.

Kirito, as a solo MMORPG player, was more accustomed to solace than quest parties. Now, he wanted Klein to stay with him; a partner that he could rely on, especially in this world where death was real.

But, he knew, Klein had his friends to take care of. They had known him for far longer than Kirito had. It was irrational to believe that Klein would abandon his friends just to go along with him.

But all the same...

"...okay..." murmured Kirito.

Klein patted him on the back, saying a few encouraging words. With a smile, he manipulated his menu and caused a notice to pop up in front of Kirito.

|| Klein would like to be your friend!

|| - Accept

|| - Decline

Kirito quickly selected "Accept" and the notice vanished. With a small chime, the message, "Klein has been added to your friends list!" appeared.

"Well, here we part." said Kirito. If one listened carefully, they maybe could have caught the slight sadness in his tone. "If anything happens... send me a PM. I'll help in any way I can... Let's meet again someday."

"...Kirito, you're not the kind of person to be alone."

"...?" Kirito looked at Klein with one eyebrow raised.

"What I mean is... you don't have to always go by yourself. I'm sure being a solo doesn't suit you... I'm sure you'll find someone you can relate to."

Kirito simply stared at Klein, not comprehending.

"Ah, well... see ya later. Maybe we can share a pizza. Do they sell them anywhere in game?" Klein instinctively ducked.

Kirito paused, then simply chuckled. "Perhaps the ingredients do, but you would have to cook them yourself." He turned around. "Farewell."

It sounded very final, that farewell.

Kirito had taken ten steps when he heard Klein call his name. "Kirito!"

He turned to face Klein.

"You look pretty good in real life! Quite stylish!" Klein called with a smile. He waved.

That set a sad smile on Kirito's face. He shouted back:

"You too, Klein! You look ten times better in reality!"

Then he whipped around and ran off, down the streets of Starting City. Leaving behind Klein, still waving silently, the first friend Kirito had made in Sword Art Online.

He didn't look back.

An odd pressure squeezed Kirito's heart. Despite not knowing consciously what it was, his body seemed to recognize it.

It felt rather familiar.

A voice whispered in his mind, _What a big fool you are, Kirito._

* * *

Kirito's goal was the northwest gate. Past that, he would race through the plains area surrounding starting city, the forest beyond, and finally arrive in Horunka Village.

The quickest way to the northwest gate was to simply head that way from the plaza. Unfortunately, the plaza was completely packed with players, and as luck would have it, Kirito and Klein had exited the plaza out the _Southeast_ passage.

Silently mouthing a curse in his mind, Kirito swiped his hand to draw an elaborate symbol in the air, bringing out the map.

Maps were usually not available, as players had to either buy the map data from an NPC or map an area themselves. While buying the data was relatively safer than mapping unknown territory, most of areas in Aincrad were not available through NPCs. Instead, they had to be mapped by a player first, then circulated through player merchants. There were exceptions though: the Starting City map was provided to all players, and many villages had NPCs outside that instantly awarded players with the map data.

In order for a player to map their own data, they had to level up their scan skill. Once they did so, they could toggle the Map Recording function in the skills menu, which automatically recorded maps as the player explored. The higher the level, the more accurate the map recorded would be.

Of course, one could physically draw the map on a piece of parchment with some kind of writing utensil. However, players were usually advised not to due to the fact that actively mapping the area made players vulnerable to monster ambushes.

Drawing his finger across the floating image of Starting City, Kirito instantly refreshed his memory of the place from the Beta period. From his position, the fastest route would be through one of the inner circle paths of the city.

Logically, he should walk back to the plaza and walk around it to the Northwest street, but people would have been exiting the plaza by now. There would be a huge crowd; that would slow him down.

Also, Klein was most probably there, and Kirito did not want to meet Klein at the moment.

In the end, Kirito ran through the smallest inner circle of Starting City. As it was a popular place for people to wander, many NPC stores lined the streets. Usually, they would hawk their wares to the many players passing by. However, as there only Kirito was there, most of the NPCs were silent. Several of them had even closed their shops for the day. Even as Kirito passed by the stalls, shutters were closed and CLOSED signs were hung.

Pretty soon, the street was completely deserted.

Which would have suited a solo player like Kirito just fine, if he hadn't had such an alien feeling of longing in his chest. Ever since he left Klein, there seemed to be a tight band wrapped around his heart.

Kirito tried to ignore the sensation, but he eventually stopped in the street, breathing deeply. He leaned against a nearby column and and took a deep breath.

_I feel so lonely._

The thought stunned him. As a solo player, he had always preferred to be alone. He had welcomed the feeling of isolation.

Parties and friends had always been considered a burden.

But now, in Sword Art Online, he felt lonely... something he had never experienced before.

He actually wanted a companion, someone like Klein.

Sighing, Kirito shook his head. _Not the time,_ he thought.

Right now, he had to hurry on to Horunka Village. There, he should immediately take the Secret Medicine of the Forest quest, allowing him to obtain an Anneal Blade, one of the strongest weapons one could have on the first floor.

_Survival first. _

Kirito pounded his fist against the wall he leaned on.

_Survival is the most important in a death game such as this._

Grimacing, Kirito pushed his loneliness aside. He shook his head, straightened up, and took off running-

-only to trip over something and promptly fall flat on his face.

"Ow... what..?"

Muttering exclamations of surprise, he turned his head to look at what had tripped him.

It was a girl.

A girl Kirito could have sworn had not been lying there a second ago.

Shifting into a crouching position, Kirito got up from where he lay and studied her incredulously. Covering a thin and petite face, her hair was a dark shade black, flowing smoothly from the top of her head to her shoulders. Perhaps a little shorter than Kirito, she possessed a light, slender build. A peaceful, neutral expression lay on her face. It seemed improbable, but Kirito thought he recognized her from somewhere.

As he focused on her, her cursor appeared above her head, a bright green color, signalling that she was a player.

Her armor was that of a beginner's, a basic chest plate along with a leather shirt and pants, color customized white. However, her weapon, a one-handed sword, appeared to be of very high quality. The handle was dyed a deep blue and the hilt was interwoven with intricate golden designs; the sheath was a simple white color. It glowed dully in the late afternoon sun.

The girl was apparently asleep, but in Aincrad it was hard to tell; people didn't naturally breathe, nor could one feel another person's heartbeat. A player could deliberately take a breath, but Sword Art Online avatars had no subconscious instinct to do so. She was definitely not dead; the HP bar next to her was still full.

What nagged at Kirito was the fact that the girl had not been there when Kirito was leaning against the column. He vividly remembered straightening up, taking a step forward-

-then tripping over something that had appeared in his path. No matter how he searched his memory, Kirito could not find any sign of the girl being there before he took the step that tripped him.

It was as if the girl had come into existence at that very moment.

People did not just appear out of thin air, not even in Sword Art Online. Instant transport could only be achieved by a moderator's Mass Recall, or a teleport/corridor crystal, but those were accompanied by flashy effects. In this case, no sounds or lights had been made.

It then struck Kirito that he had been staring at the unconscious girl for over fifteen seconds.

_What should I do?_ flashed across his mind.

He could either help the girl or just leave her there.

_I should just leave her, I need to hurry to Horunka Village and quickly complete the Secret Medicine of the Forest quest... _

_But I've heard enough Inside-Area PK stories for me to consider her unsafe... not to mention now that death is real.  
_

_...maybe... I could just take her to the nearest inn._

Deciding on that course of action, Kirito took a deep breath, then picked the girl up. He staggered, not expecting her to be so light.

As if in response to his action, the girl stirred.

"Ugh..."

Startled, Kirito nearly dropped her. He quickly reaffirmed his grip, and held her in a vertical position, leaning against the wall. He carefully watched her.

The girl's eyes slowly flickered open. Her eyes were a deep black, sparkling slightly. She took a large, shuddering breath.

"..ah..."

Her eyes wandered off for a second, then refocused on Kirito's face. She cocked her head as if trying to remember something, then shook it.

"...I...um..." she muttered.

Kirito frowned slightly. "Are you okay?"

The girl blinked several times. "Um... who are you?"

Her voice was soft, melodious.

"My name is Kirito... who are you?"

She opened her mouth to answer, then paused. "I..." She clutched her head. "My name... Wait...who...?"

Kirito began to grow concerned. "Is there.. something wrong?"

"What.. no... why? I'm... I am..."

The girl looked up. Though it might have just been his imagination, Kirito thought he could see fear in her eyes.

"I... I..."

She swallowed and managed to choke out, "I... don't remember... anything."

"Wut."

The word came out exactly how it was spelled.

The girl cringed, then whimpered, "I... who...I am? Where...I...? My...remember...?"

Wordlessly, Kirito looked down at her as the girl shook her head, trying to clear it.

Memory loss... it was possible to have one's memory damaged by excessive radiation. The NerveGear operated by redirecting the signals sent from the brain to the body, sending it's own waves in response to stimulate the 5 senses. The NerveGear sensors, as explained in the earlier tutorial, could also emit high frequencies of some kind of magnetic pulse, which would burn out the human brain.

But what if someone could survive that electromagnetic pulse? If by some slim chance the player could resist most of the waves, they would still certainly have received some form of brain damage...

Was this girl someone who had died in game, but managed to survive the having her brain burnt out?

"Do you... remember anything? Anything at all?" Kirito asked tentatively. "Any names? Places? Faces?"

She screwed her eyes shut for a moment, then shook her head once again.

"..." Kirito's eyes narrowed.

_Damn you, Akihiko._

A girl like this, unaware of even her own name, would not have lasted a single day in Aincrad now that death was real. No memory... she probably had somehow survived having her brain burnt out.

The weapon on her back looked to be of very high quality, but Kirito could not recall ever seeing such a sword during the beta. Perhaps it was from a quest he didn't know about yet... Most likely she had been questing out in the wilds on the first floor, and accidentally died there.

_But if so... didn't Kayaba say that all revival items and methods had been disabled?_

Even if someone survived the pulse, how would they find their way back into the world? After all, the revival platform in the Black Iron Castle had been disabled, and all revive crystals were gone from the game. A survivor would have returned to the real world, their NerveGear deactivated.

And how did she just appear in front of him? Even if revival was enabled, the only revival platform in the game was in the Black Iron Castle.

"Um... your name... was it Kirito?"

The girl seemed to have given up on trying to recall her memories. She looked sadly at Kirito.

"Er, yes. It is Kirito... do you remember anything now?"

"...no... but, Kirito... do you know who I am?" A hopeful tone crept into her voice.

Kirito was silent for a while. Then he asked, "I'm sorry... but no."

The girl seemed to deflate, letting out a long sigh. She looked at the ground.

"...anything?" Kirito tried one last time. "Do you remember anything? Any names? Your name?"

The girl lifted her head and gave him a long, searching look. She seemed to be deep in thought.

"...my name? ...Mane?"

"Mane?"

"...that's...I remember...I think."

**AN: Mane is pronounced m-äh-ne, in Japanese, まね. Not mane, horse hair.  
**

Kirito laid his hand on her shoulder. "So... your name is Mane?"

She hesitated. "Mane... Mane... I think so."

Mane, as she was now known, looked around. She seemed at lost at what to do next, thinking about her new name.

"Mane, do you know about Sword Art Online?"

She looked up. "Sword... Art... Online?"

"Yes."

"Um... I think so... first virtual reality MMORPG? ...a game?" She blinked twice. "What's an MMORPG? Virtual Reality?"

So she did know about Aincrad. _She must have been a player..._

_But her memories appear to be randomly fragmented and erased... she remembers some things, but not others...  
_

"...Mane, this world around you, is Sword Art Online. This is a game."

"A game? ...a form of play... so... this is fake?"

"...yes. There's a real world. But the creator of this game has trapped all the gamers in Sword Art Online."

Mane shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "But... this isn't a the real world? So nothing here is real?"

Kirito sighed. "Nothing... but our minds and death. The creator has also made it so that if we die here, we die in real life."

Mane's eyes widened. "If we die here... Hp gone? Die in real life?"

"...yes."

"...what is real life?"

The question caught Kirito off guard. S_he has no memories of reality... That's bad...  
_

"Real life... it is a world that is free. Everyone trapped here used to live there, you, me, and all the players... it's reality, our original world. Our physical bodies are still there... People can do whatever they want... but if they go against the rules they will be punished... but they can still do what they want. It's a world with... no limits."

"...free? No limits?" Mane sunk into a deep silence. "...I...would like that..."

Kirito studied her face for a little while longer, then looked around. He suddenly realized, that the sun was far lower than before. He quickly swiped out his chronometer; around 15 minutes had passed.

_Darn it, I need to get to Horunka Village!_

"Mane... I need to go."

"What?" Mane snapped out of her daze.

"I have to go, there's somewhere I have to go... do you know where's the nearest inn?" Kirito set his map to public and showed Mane, who was silent. "Here... you'll be safe here."

"...Kirito?" Her voice was small.

"...yes?" _I need to go!_

"I...can I go with you?"

"No." Kirito instinctively belted out. As a solo player, it had always been his response.

Mane's face froze. She seemed surprised.

"Look, there's somewhere I need to go to... It's a dangerous place. I can't have someone weighing me down..."

The words rang cruelly in Kirito's ears. _Is this how I'm always like? As a solo player?_

_No... I need to do this... this is survival. She'll be safe in Starting City._

Mane's tone became desperate. "But... I... I...want to see... the real world. I... want to learn..."

Kirito looked at her in silence.

"...I...don't want to... die. But.. I want to help."

"Stay in starting city. Go to that inn. You should be fine. You'll be free someday."

"I-I... I want to help! Please... can you help me?"

He turned his back on her and walked away.

Before he had even taken 5 steps, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

Mane was still standing, leaning against the wall where Kirito had propped her. Her head hung on her shoulders, and-

-Kirito could just make out tear tracks lining her cheeks.

Abruptly, the memory of the first day Kirito had tried an MMORPG swam to the front of his mind. As a level 1 newbie, he had had absolutely no idea of what to do.

When he did try to ask people about the game, they just said things like "Buzz off, noob", "Go away. You're too weak", or even fake instructions followed by a "Trollolololol."

However, by far the most common response, and the most hurtful, was "_F*** u B****. Ur jst a n00b. U suk_."

It wasn't the bad grammar and spelling that made Kirito sick; it was the fact that people actually dared to say those kinds of words to other people.

To him.

Kirito recalled that feeling.

He had never really excelled in real life. His grades were average, his uncle gave up on teaching him Kendo, and he never really felt that he fit in reality. He felt a sense of no purpose.

Then, Kirito started playing MMORPGs. Quickly becoming proficient, he became a top level player in many different games. Those games felt like a second, successful life to him.

But when he had first started, those players who treated him like scum nearly made him quit that game on the first day. Kirito had actually teared up when he saw how the other players viewed him.

Those other players nearly killed off that second life before Kirito could find his happiness... They gave him that feeling of being alone, with no one to help.

Despair. Uselessness. The feeling of no purpose in life.

Certainly that was what Mane was feeling.

As Kirito continued to look at Mane's tear-streaked face, he realized-

-not only did she know nothing about the game, she didn't have any knowledge about herself either.

Aincrad was not like the other games. It was a life and death situation. The slightest mistake could get you killed.

Sword Art Online was the only world Mane knew. She didn't have another world she could escape to. She had no idea what to do. She had no idea who she was...

But what she did know was that she could die very, very easily. She was scared.

And the person she asked for help turned her down and basically called her a burden, useless. The same as those players did to him many years ago.

Kirito felt ashamed of himself.

_When..? When did I become like this?_

Then he remembered Klein's words.

_"You don't have to always go by yourself. I'm sure being a solo doesn't suit you... I'm sure you'll find someone you can relate to."_

The words still didn't really make that much sense to Kirito.

But at the same time, he did understand what they meant, at least unconsciously.

The sight of Mane, silent with tears tracking down her face, reminded Kirito of himself. When he had received all those hateful and dismissive words from those players, he had cried as well. He had wondered, _How could people be so mean?_

Now, Kirito realized, he was the mean one.

Now that he was the one with the knowledge of the game, Kirito denied to help anyone as long as it inconvenienced him.

Replacing the memory, a twisted figment of Kirito's imagination popped up. It was the same as the memory of his first MMORPG day, except for the fact that the elitist players all had Kirito's face , and Kirito's old avatar had changed into Mane.

Mane was pleading for help, tears in her eyes.

The faces all bent into unrealistically grotesque forms. The mouths opened.

_"Buzz off."_

_"**** u. Ur jst a useless n00b!"_

_"Trololololololol!"  
_

Kirito clutched his head with one hand. _I... why?__  
_

A voice echoed in his mind. _Do what you think is right._

Kirito didn't move for several minutes.

Then he turned around and walked back towards Mane. He stopped in front of her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Mane..."

She looked up, her face streaked with liquid. Her face looked exactly like the one the Mane in Kirito's warped memory wore.

That heartbreaking look broke down the last of his selfishness. "...I'll help you."

"...ehh?" Her eyes widened. The tears that were trapped in there spilled out.

"Do you...want to come...with me? I...I'll help you..." Kirito managed to stutter out.

"Really?"

"...I...yes, really..."

The tears were let loose, and they flowed without restraint down Mane's face. "Thank you!" she squealed.

She hugged him viciously around the waist, burying her head in his chest. Stunned, Kirito fell over backwards, landing with a "oomf!" on the pavement.

He lay still for a few moments, then tilted his head to look at her. Mane had both her eyes squeezed shut, and the tears on her face were quickly drying.

Strangely, the act of offering help to her seemed to have removed a large amount of stress from his heart; like an iron band had been removed from his chest, a band he had never known was there. An emotion Kirito didn't recognize welled up in his chest.

As a solo player, the only emotions he had really experienced were disappointment and satisfaction. Disappointment, when thing didn't go his way, and satisfaction when they did. He didn't have anyone to care for, anyone to care for him. Kirito usually stayed far away from everyone around him, playing only to obtain the satisfaction of being a successful player.

He had never really helped another player in any game in the past.

It was only now, when he agreed to help Klein, and then Mane, that he realized the feeling he had felt was happiness. Happiness at being together with others.

Offering to help Mane made Kirito feel happy. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

Kirito lay there for a while, then suddenly realized time was slipping away. He quickly reoriented himself into a vertical position, dragging Mane with him. "Mane, we have to go"

"mmmmf?" Mane muffed through Kirito's leather armor.

Kirito gently peeled her off and set her on the ground. "We have to leave for the next village... Horunka village. I need a do a quest there to obtain a pretty good sword, the Anneal Blade..." His eyes lit upon the sword on her back. "um... Mane, do you remember anything about the sword on your back? It looks to be of pretty high quality."

Mane appeared to be relieved, albeit a bit flustered. Her cheeks were tinged with pink. "Umm..." she twisted her head to look at the blade. "..I... dunno."

"Can you show it to me?" Kirito reached out with his hand for the weapon.

Mane obliged, unhooking the plain leather scabbard from her back skillfully, then pausing as she tried to remember how she did that. She cocked her head, mouth slightly open, forgetting she needed to hand the weapon over.

Kirito raised an eyebrow. _Clearly, she used to be a player of SAO. _Anyone could draw their weapon easily, but not many beginners could unhook their sheaths in a single fluid movement. He gently took the sword from her hands, and examined it.

The scabbard was a plain one, simple leather with decorative thatching along the sides. It had been dyed a dark shade of gray. In Sword Art Online, weapon sheaths automatically fit themselves to the weapon contained within them, as long as they were in the right category. For example, this sheath could be used for a myriad of swords, but a dagger-type weapon would not fit in it. While they provided some minor combat stats, sheaths were generally used for decoration and utility.

The sword inside however, was a different story entirely. Kirito drew it out; it flashed once in the fading sunlight. It was obviously of a very high quality. A light, iridescent blue, the blade seemed to shimmer and waver in the afternoon sun. The handle was of the same color; it felt to be of wood. Golden threads weaved about the hilt, giving it a unique sheen. All in all, it gave the impression of a shifting wave of water, or some other glossy substance.

It was certainly a fine weapon, but how did Mane manage to obtain it on the first floor?

Tapping it twice, Kirito selected the weapon details info menu. A small window with the stats popped up.

**Name:** Historica

That was interesting. A weapon with a unique name was extremely rare on the first floor. All sword users started out with the Basic Sword, the Iron Sword was available at all shops, and the Anneal Blade was available from the Secret Medicine of the Forest quest, but there were unlimited quantities of those weapons.

Weapons with personalized names, a real name, were virtually unheard of on floors beneath the 30th. For a weapon to have it's own name on the 1st floor, that was impossible... yet here it was.

The next few lines of text surprised Kirito.

**Stats:**

**Attack Bonus: 0-0  
**

**Strength: +0  
**

**Agility: +0  
**

**Vitality: +0  
**

**Sharpness: 0  
**

**Quickness: 0  
**

**Accuracy: 0  
**

**Heaviness: 50  
**

**Durability: 9999  
**

No combat base stats at all. This was never heard of before. Even the basic sword had an attack bonus of 10, +1 in all three basic stats and some accuracy. The Anneal Blade had an A.B. of 30, +5 in the first 3 categories, and 3 sharpness, accuracy, and quickness. This weapon had a zero in all combat stats... in effect, a "dead weapon". It didn't enhance anything; all it did was serve as a medium for attacking. Another curious thing was the fact that it appeared to have max durability, which meant it would never break...**  
**

Such a beautiful weapon... It was almost impossible to believe a unique weapon could be completely useless.

Kirito glanced up, looking at Mane. She was checking her armor, grasping at memories that should have been there, but weren't. He looked back down at the information again.

His eyes widened.

**Enhancements: 0/999,999**

_Infinite Enhancements._

_Impossible.  
_

The enhancement system in Sword Art Online was similar to that of most MMORPGs. Collect the reagents, bring them to a blacksmith, whether player or NPC, and have them increase the stat of your choice: Sharpness, Quickness, Accuracy, Heaviness, and Durability. Strength, Agility, and Vitality were preset to every weapon, and could not be changed. Enhancing heaviness would decrease the weight. Durability determined the stability of the weapon; increasing it did not require an enhancement slot, but the rest of the process was the same. There was a chance of failure during enhancement, though, therefore wasting the reagents and a player's precious time. Additional reagents used past the minimum amount decreased the possibility of failure.

However, weapons had an upper limit to how many times a weapon could be enhanced. For example, the basic sword could be enhanced up to 3 times, and the Anneal blade could be enhanced up to 8 times. A failed enhancement would take up one slot as well; therefore, it was possible to have enhanced a sword up to it's maximum and still have no extra stats.

But this blade, Historica... it had an infinite enhancement limit. That meant it had infinite potential - it would never become obsolete towards another sword, as it could enhance itself past that point. It would always be sharper, quicker, and more accurate...

It's weakness, however, was that it didn't provide any base stats: Strength, Vitality, or Agility. Therefore, the wielder would have to rely on his or her own stats...

Looking down at the requirement for the next enhancement, Kirito saw that the blade required Little Nepent Leaves to be enhanced. _Ah... what a coincidence._

Slightly punch-drunk, Kirito closed the information window. He tapped Mane's shoulder, getting her attention, and handed her Historica. "That sword... it's a very good one. Take good care of it."

"I will..." Mane murmured. Then she looked up. "...I feel like I remember this sword..."

Kirito felt mildly surprised. "You do?"

"I think so... Historica..." She gently ran her hand along the hilt.

_So she remembers it? _Kirito silently watched her. _Well, then, she doesn't need to complete the Secret Medicine of the Forest quest... or any quest for a weapon, actually.  
_

"Mane... I have quest I need to take." He reached out and grasped her hand. "Currently, this blade is not very strong... I need a better one to survive. I'll take you along... I can teach you along the way, get you some experience as well."

"Experience..." Mane shook herself out of her stupor and reequipped the sheath holding Historica. "Game experience... level up? Help me get stronger?"

"Yeah..." He suddenly had a thought. "Mane, you know about leveling up? Do you remember anything else now?"

"I think... some things about this world... like..." Mane drew a small symbol in the air, and her menu popped up. "And some other things... like... guilds... friends... oh!"

She quickly tapped several options on her menu. A notice popped up in front of Kirito:

|| Mane would like to be your friend!

|| - Accept

|| - Decline

_So her username in-game is also Mane... _

Kirito stabbed the accept option, and with a small chime, Mane was added to his friends list.

2 people on his friends list. That was a list bigger than that of all his previous MMOs combined.

And one of those friends was an enigma. Too many unanswered questions.

How did she loose her memories? How did she just appear in front of Kirito? How did she obtain that sword?

Who was she?

She was definitely a player, she did have residual memories of how the game worked.

"...We need to go now. If we go later, there would probably be too many people there. That would make the quest harder to complete."

"Okay, Kirito." She stepped closer to him. "Let's go... I trust you."

_Trust..._

Kirito felt strangely elated. Generally, as a solo player, he was viewed with distrust, a "selfish solo". To have another player trust him... he felt that tinge of happiness again.

But...

"Mane... why do you trust me?"

"Mmm?"

He gestured, indicating himself. "I... said no you at first. I... made you cry..." He paused. "Why do you trust me?"

Mame was silent for a while, then she simply said, "I don't know."

"...what?"

"I really don't know... but I just feel... I like..." She hesitated. "I think you're the first person... who..."

Kirito tilted his head.

"...treated me like a real person...you came back for me..."

Kirito silently gazed at her for a while, not completely comprehending what she said.

"...I feel like... I... can know you?"

He suddenly raised his head, alerted by a small gaggle of noises coming from the direction of the main plaza. Looking around, he confirmed the street was still empty. Pushing his residual thoughts aside, his sense of urgency increased.

"Come on..." Kirito grabbed Mane's hand. "I still don't understand... but I'll thank you for your trust by getting you back to reality."

They ran out of the streets together, headed towards the Northwest Gate.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**My birthday came and went... I'm 16 now! I'm getting old... (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻  
**

**Sooo... I think I did my best... what do you think?  
**

**Historica is a reference to the DS game Radiant Historia... It's a time travel RPG, and contrary to what you might think, it has quite a deep storyline. I rather liked it. Plus, the music was really good. Historica, the endless potential of time... endless potential of enhancements :)  
**

**I would really, really appreciate any sort of constructive criticism... improve future writing, you know. Maybe I'll update past chapters too as my skill somewhat grows. So yeah, please review! I thank you all for your reviews last time!  
**

**To the two of you who asked about the pairing, I'm not completely sure... I have no experience in romance (Real life or Writing) but perhaps that pairing would be nicest... and cutest :P  
**

******I cannot emphasize how much I would appreciate reviews. Please take the time to give me some advice in writing... pretty please?  
**

******Next chapter should resemble the First Day chapter of Volume 8, Early and Late. I have several ideas for a twist...**

******A big thank you to Rainbowlalaland, for being the beta reader for this story.  
**

**~Vic**

**Disclaimer: As I just started writing 2 weeks ago, I could not possibly own Sword Art Online...  
**


	3. Chapter 2: Resolution

**Chapter 2: Resolution**

In Sword Art Online, a player generally does not tire from strenuous physical activity, since movement isn't really driven by muscular activity, only their movement speed value and agility.

However, players still get tired from thinking a lot. During an extended sword fight, for example, when someone calculates attacks, defenses, and counter-attacks at the speed needed to respond efficiently and survive, they could easily get worn down and become exhausted.

Running around and other random exercises, on the other hand, don't tire someone as much as they do in real life. Thus, Kirito and Mane were able to run the full distance from Starting City to Horunka Village without breaking a sweat.

Of course, along the way, many of the common mobs on the first floor were encountered. The most common, the «Blue Boar», had already appeared and been dispatched several times.

Once Kirito quickly explained the basics of fighting along with the weak points of the boars to her, Mane rapidly learned (or maybe remembered) how to use her blade in combat. Unfortunately, since Historica had no base stats, currently it pretty weak even compared to the Basic sword handed out at the start of the game. When it hit the weak spot, only around 20% of the boars health was shaved off, as opposed to the 52% done by a basic sword, or even the 104% if the attack did a critical.

If Historica didn't hit a weak spot, Kirito guessed it would probably do around 10-15% of the boar's HP in damage.

However, that didn't stop the pair from cleaving through the mobs like a hot knife through butter. Kirito held the lead, mashing his blade into the backs of the boar's neck, their weak point, dropping them extremely low. Mane then cleaned up after him, gaining the brunt of the exp.

All this was done without a pause in their sprinting. They reached Horunka village and dashed under the entrance arch just as the village clock tower chimed 7:00.

Horunka Village was an area generally recommended to players level 3 or above, as many of the quests located there were quite demanding. The surrounding area also teemed with monsters of that level. As they neared the village, Kirito had noticed that the «Blue Boars» there had noticeably more vitality, tanking three or more hits to it's weak spot and still only just entering the red zone. In addition, the single time one of them managed to deal a blow to Kirito, it had shaved off a quarter of his health.

The Horunka village area was definitely a dangerous area for those under level 3.

Fortunately, Kirito had been a beta tester, one of the fortunate 1000 who had played the game before it had been released, before it had become a death game. While the area might have been perilous for another player, he already knew how to avoid all the dangerous places and the easiest ways to complete the quests situated there. The monster attack patterns and weak points were common knowledge to him.

As the village and nearby mobs dropped high profits in both col and exp compared to the mobs around Starting City, if you survived the risks, the reward was great. And for a tester like Kirito, the risks were marginally reduced.

They slowed to a fast walk, Mane slightly lagging behind, as they neared the center of the village.

Currently, the village was still empty of players. Most people would still be at Starting City, since only beta testers would be coming to Horunka village this early in the game. The road echoed with their footsteps as the two paced down the deserted street.

Kirito idly waved his hand, calling out his menu. Selecting the player data option, his stats and level popped up in a separate window in front of him.

Along the way, Kirito's exp bar had filled up to 95%. Almost level 2, which was most likely the highest amount of experience any player had so far. In addition, he had netted a respectable amount of Col, which was Sword Art Online's main currency.

A thought occurred to him, and he halted, turning around to face Mane. "Mane, can I see your stats? I want to know how much experience you've gained so far..."

The girl hesitated, then nodded, her black hair waving slightly. She drew out her menu and called out her data. Then she paused. "Umm... do I just tell you? You can't see this, right?"

Kirito reached over. "I think you can set private windows to public... there should be an option in the corner."

"Really?" Mane looked over her window, which appeared blank to Kirito. "Ah... here."

She tapped something once, and the blank screen suddenly filled up with Mane's stats. Kirito leaned over to take a look.

Surprisingly, her experience was still only at around 50%, which meant she must have started out at near 0% when they had left Starting City.

The girl mystified Kirito. He had guessed Mane was someone who had been completing some kind of difficult quest, died in-game, but somehow survived having her brain burnt out by the NerveGear. That would explain her scattered memory loss, as well as the potentially powerful blade, Historica, on her back.

However, such a weapon could have only come from a difficult quest, which in turn would have given out hefty amounts of experience... which in turn would have raised her exp bar.

Yet her exp had still been zero when they first met.

Also, Kayaba had claimed that all forms of revival had been disabled. If she really had died in game and survived the pulse, she would not have been logged back into the game, but ejected back into the real world...

In addition, she appeared to remember many things about Sword Art Online, such as the fact that stat screens were blank to all but the player whom it described, that only a Beta tester would have known. On the other hand, she also _didn't_ know things a Beta should have known, such as the weak points of the boars and basic sword skills. Which might be explained by the random memory burn, but still didn't add up.

Such an enigma. Kirito could not understand much about Mane at all.

For some reason, Kirito thought he knew her from somewhere before, but he just couldn't place his finger on it.

Perhaps, maybe it was because of that he felt he should help her...

Focusing back on her stats, he noted that she had not allotted her skill or stat points into any category yet. The counter beside Stat Points still read 5, and the one dedicated to Skill Points was still at 2.

He looked up at Mane. "You still need to allocate your stat and skill points, Mane."

She stared back at him with blank eyes, an questioning look on her face. "What?"

With a sigh, Kirito proceeded to quickly outline the stat and skill system to Mane. "When you get a lot of experience, you level up. When you level up, you get stat points. Every ten levels, you get a skill point to allot. You can - no, should - use these points. The stat ones make you stronger, and the skill ones help you learn to do more things."

He brought out his own stat window. "For example, I have 3 stat points into «strength» and 2 into «agility», because I prefer quick, strong slices. I placed a skill point in «1-Handed Sword» category, and the other in «Searching». The «1-H Sword skill» gave me the basic skills, «Horizontal», «Slant», and «Vertical», and «Searching» allows me to be more perceptive... though, it's really up to you how you invest these... be careful though, the stat choices you make stay with you forever."

Mane took a moment to digest the information, then turned towards her own stat window and viewed the choices. "Hmm... stats and skills..." She scratched her head, just like how Kirito did when he was thinking.

Kirito continued, "Skills are a little different from stat points. You start out with two, and you gain one every ten levels. You can spend these to learn things... after you use the points, you have to train yourself in that category in order to raise your proficiency in it. As you grow stronger, it'll automatically teach you new skills... and perhaps will branch off into different sub-categories. Proficiency can go up to 1000, a Mastery. If you decide to quit a skill, you can get the point back, but you lose all your training in it."

Mane gave a "mm-hmm" while still looking thoughtfully at her stat window.

A variety of different skills were available to players at level one. «1-H Sword», «2-H Sword», «Searching», «Hiding», «Merchandising», «Blacksmithing», «Knives», «Wrist-blades», and «2-H Mace/Axe» were available, to name a few.

Thinking she might have been indecisive, Kirito ventured, "You should invest at least one in the «1-H Sword» skill, since you already know most of the basics for that... also because your blade is a 1-Handed Sword, and it's pretty good, so..."

His voice trailed off, because Mane had quickly tapped on her window 7 times, distributing her points, then pressing the save button. A small ding reverberated through the air as her changes were finalized.

"...um, you know these are somewhat permanent, right?" Mane nodded, and Kirito let out a deep breath. "Which choices did you make?"

She brought up her screen to show Kirito. "ah...I put 2 in «strength», 3 «agility», and one in 1-H and «Searching»."

Kirito closed his slightly gaping mouth. "...That's almost the exact same set as me, except you switched strength and agility..."

Mane giggled. "I... think you made good choices... but... I sort of felt like I shouldn't copy you completely... and I think I like speed, so... I chose agility."

Kirito suddenly remembered his first experience playing MMOs again. At the time he first learned about the skill/stat system from a kind player, he had asked that guy about his configuration. Afterwards, he distributed his stats and skills to look almost exactly like that of the player... but he had felt bad for copying, and switched a fourth of his speed points into strength before finalizing, due to the fact that he had liked the feeling of a good, solid hit.

It was almost the exact same situation as with Mane, except Mane had transferred a point from strength to agility, instead of the other way around.

_...The same as me..._

Kirito shook his head to clear it. "Well, it's all up to you in the end." He looked at the setting sun peeking over the edge of the floor, and turned to continue. "Come on, we can get ourselves to level 3 today, probably, if we hurry."

"Okay!" Mane quickly minimized her stat window and chased after him.

* * *

Upon entering the private house, Kirito immediately made a beeline straight for the kitchen, Mane following slightly behind. She looked around, curious, running over to the grandfather clock and examining it.

Kirito looked over his shoulder. "Do you... remember anything about houses?"

"Yes..." Mane replied offhandedly. "But I don't know about these things..."

_Darn random memory loss..._ "It's a grandfather clock. It's just another kind of clock, except it's taller and apparently looks better in a house." He ran into the adjoining room.

"Mmm..." She gave the clock a last look as she followed Kirito into the kitchen.

The NPC in front of the stove, a woman in her early twenties, gave a bright, if tired, smile as the two entered the room. _A weird reaction,_ Kirito thought, _when you find two strangers in your_ _house. _A pitch-black, iron pot simmered on fire behind her.

"Good evening, traveling swordsman... and swords woman." The woman tacked on, noticing Mane. "I'm sorry, but I currently do not have any food for you at the moment... all I have is some water... would that be alright?"

The pot on the stove behind her shuddered twice, whistled, then fell still.

"That would be fine. Thank you." Kirito intoned clearly. He motioned Mane over and they both sat beside the table.

The NPC brought over two stout mugs full of water. Placing them on the table, she nodded to both occupants and returned to the stove.

Kirito took his cup and sipped the drink. While drinking water was not really required to survive in-game, over time, if a player did not drink, they would get a parched feeling in their mouth and throat that would not go away until more water was consumed. They wouldn't die of dehydration, but the feeling was supremely uncomfortable. It was the same with food; a player could survive without any, but he or she would get a horrendous stomachache. Thus, players strove to drink and eat for three full meals a day.

Mane took her cup with both hands and drank greedily. Interested, Kirito watched her as she chugged down the entire cup in one gulp, set the mug on the table, and wiped her mouth.

"Thirsty?" He asked mildly.

She looked wistfully at his still-full cup. "Sort of... can I have yours?"

Kirito pushed his mug over with a wry smile. Mane quickly snatched it up and annihilated the liquid contents.

Watching her swallow, Kirito was vaguely reminded of when he was a little kid. He had loved to drink large amounts of water, several cups at a time... until his sister, Suguha, taught him that water made him go to the bathroom a lot more. Then he stopped drinking too much.

Thinking of the past made him suddenly remember his family. It was hard for him to believe he had just eaten dinner with them only 2 hours ago, and now he probably wouldn't be able to contact them for a good 3 years.

A sudden pang of homesickness struck his heart. Kirito wondered what his sister was doing at that very moment...

But the fact that he still existed in Aincrad meant she and his mother had taken Kayaba's warnings seriously... which meant they really believed that he would come back.

Kirito hadn't been all that close with his family... he had spent most of his time on the internet, playing MMORPGs. While Suguha had spent her time practicing the Kendo and hanging out with friends, Kirito rampaged out in the various games, alone on the net and in real life. Suguha had always cared for him, helping him sometimes with his homework, trying to get him off the computer sometimes for some family activity... but Kirito had usually refused.

Now, being trapped in such a game and most likely for a very long time, Kirito felt guilty that he had not spent as much time with them as he felt he should have.

_I'm sorry, Suguha... _

_I promise, when I get out of this... I'll be more of a brother to you... _

_Mother, I'll be more of a son... _

_I'm sorry...  
_

"...ito? Kirito-kun?"

Mane's voice brought him back to reality... figuratively. Kirito blinked twice, then focused. For a moment, he saw Suguha calling his name; then he blinked twice and it was Mane sitting in front of him.

What surprised him the most was the ease at which he got along with Mane. Kirito had never fancied himself a social person, and had never actually made many friends at in real life. With Mane... he felt more comfortable.

He felt like he could understand her.

"I was wondering..." Mane indicated the woman at the stove. "Why is she just cooking? Shouldn't she be trying to get out?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean..." Mane hesitated. "She wants to get back to reality too, right?"

Kirito stared at her. _She... doesn't know about NPCs?_

"Ah... uh... Mane, that person isn't a player, she's an NPC... a Non-Player-Character. If you look closely, you can see her cursor... it's yellow, that represents an NPC. Green means a real player, while red is for a hostile monster. She doesn't really exist; she is an Artificial Intelligence."

"Artificial... Intelligence?" Mane repeated.

"Basically, she's an... an artificial being, limited to what the creators of this game program her to do... she doesn't have a mind of her own. She's a part of this game. She does not physically exist in the real world." Another long speech for Kirito.

"No... mind? Only what others tell her to do? ...can she return to the real world as well?"

Kirito noted that she had understood the meaning of the word _program. Maybe the NerveGear really did just kill off random memories... she didn't ask me about the cursor, she must remember a little about it... she knows the definition of program, but not computer... _

"...no, Mane. She is confined to this world."

Mane's expression turned sad. She looked at the woman. "So... she'll never be free?"

"No... but, Mane, she'll never feel sadness or anything about not being free... in fact, she's happy doing what the creators tell her."

"But she'll still never be free..."

Both of them fell into an awkward, sad silence.

"She said there's no food... what's cooking in the pot?"

Kirito raised an approving eyebrow. "You're very perceptive. That's part of the quest she's been programmed to give us."

"What? Really?"

Just then, a golden "?" flashed into existence above the woman's head. Startled, Mane jerked back.

Kirito, who had both expected it and recognized it as a quest symbol, simply called out, "Is there something wrong, miss?"

That was one of the many phrases a player could use to start a quest. Other examples included "Do you have anything for me?" or "Can I help you?". On the other hand, if a player wanted to decline a quest, they could say "Don't mind me" or just keep silent.

The NPC woman turned to face the two at the table and began a lengthy quest description about her daughter being extremely sick. None of the medicine from the market (Which was cooking in the pot) had any effect on her condition. A traveling merchant had told her the only way to cure her was to boil out the sap from a Little Nepent's Ovule; However, the plants were both predatory and the ovule was pretty rare among them, so the woman, by herself, had no chance of procuring one. "If you two could bring back an ovule to me... I would be very grateful. There's a longsword that had been passed down in the family for a long time, I could never wield it myself... I would gladly present it to you if you could help my daughter."

A quest log opened up on the right side of Kirito's vision. Reading, «Secret Medicine of the Forest», there was a bullet point underneath bearing "Little Nepent's Ovule: 0/1".

Beside him, Mane blinked several times, also receiving the quest. This time, it seemed she recognized the quest log, because she didn't ask Kirito for an explanation.

"So... Mane, you don't need to complete the quest, since you already have Historica... I'll need it, since I only have a Basic Sword, and the Anneal Blade is a lot better." Kirito stopped as a thought struck him. "Though, if we find a second ovule quickly, we can give it to you so you can earn some bonus experience and col..."

He looked up and saw that Mane wasn't paying attention to him. She was still looking at the NPC woman, with the same expression of sadness on her face.

"...Mane, there's nothing we can do to help her..."

She glanced back at Kirito. "I know... but..." She looked back at the NPC, who was quietly humming a folk tune while stirring the contents of the pot.

"..." Kirito remained silent.

He took Mane's hand and rushed out of the house.

* * *

The sun began sinking below the floor of Aincrad, signaling that night was soon to follow. Kirito hastened as the sunlight began to fade.

"The target mob, monsters, for this quest is called the «Little Nepent»", he lectured Mane. "They're pretty dangerous, since we're both still level 1, almost level 2, and they're all level 3. However, they have a serious weak spot on the stalk that holds up the bulb, or mouth, or head..." Kirito shrugged while jogging faster. "Since they're mostly offensively built, their defense isn't good, several good strikes to that stalk should be enough. They give hefty exp too, so it's a good spot."

Mane took a while to think, then asked, "But since they're offensive, won't that mean we would take a lot of damage?"

"True, but their attacks have a large wind-up and as long as you dodge their acid, you should be fine. They draw their head or vines back when they strike; pretty easy to avoid." A pause. "There are three types of them... the first is just normal, nothing special. The second carries an ovule, a large, heart-shaped bulb thing. That is our goal, to kill that one and take it's ovule."

"And the third one...?"

Kirito grimaced. "That one is very dangerous, especially since we're still level 1. It carries a perfectly round seed. It acts, attacks, and defends normally, but..." He waved his arms for emphasis. "If you slice the seed, it will attract every single «Little Nepent» in a wide area... almost certainly a death sentence for us."

Mane paled. "Okay... don't attack the seed one... got it... I hope."

Kirito began to slow down as the trees loomed closer. He patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay. The ovule and seed are both located on the top of the head... well out of way of the weak spot. If you just concentrate on defense and the weak spot, you should be okay..."

Mane stayed silent, but gave a weak smile.

_She really is scared..._

"It'll be alright... we'll survive. You'll definitely get to return to the real world. Eh, Here we are..."

During sunset, the shadows from the trees stretched several meters across the main road running parallel to the forest. The shades and real vegetation both reached out with their branches, as if to snare any traveler trekking down the dirt path. Kirito knew that Treeants did not appear until the 5th floor, but he still shivered at the sight.

Mane also seemed unnerved by the twisted positions of trees. "Um, Kirito..."

"Yes?"

One of the trees, moved by the wind, let out a long, drawn out creaking sound, startling both of them.

"Can we finish this quickly? This place is creepy." She shivered. "Night is falling too..."

Kirito agreed whole-heartedly. "Alright then... But at night, there's this glow that lights up the area evenly... the area won't be so scary after that."

"I hope so... I'm scared."

Kirito awkwardly patted her on the back. "It'll be alright..."

They turned off the dusty road and vanished among the undergrowth.

* * *

*Chk!*

*Psssaaaa!*

The sound of Nepent combat soon reached Kirito's ears as he and Mane moved closer to the forest clearing.

Kirito frowned. _So someone got here ahead of us._ Most likely, it was another beta tester.

Abruptly, the vegetation ended, leaving a grassy hill area surrounded on all sides by the forest. As they both stepped into the open, the sun finally descended behind the edge of Aincrad, and the last rays of light faded away.

Of course, the forest was not as dark as it would have been in real life. A bio-luminescent glow pervaded the area, bathing the clearing in a soft blue luster. It had no discernible source; as if the air itself gave off light. It was enough to see by, but not bright enough to view things clearly.

The lighting revealed a player in the starting equipment, color customized red, bringing his sword to bear against a «Little Nepent». This time, it was a player, recognizable by the floating green cursor above his head.

Despite the name, the «Little Nepent» towered at a height of over one and a half meters, a repulsive weed propped upon vines, with a large, bulbous pitcher-head resting upon a thick stalk resembling a very long neck.

Drool, or maybe digestive juices, leaked out of the "mouth" of the Nepent. Upon focusing upon the monster, Kirito noted that it's hp was in the red. The deep magenta cursor denoted a formidable foe, one above his level.

Rearing, it brought its vines down in a deadly arc.

The player standing before it swiftly leaped to the side, swinging his sword as he did so. The blade shined a bright red, and curved horizontally towards the unprotected stalk of the Nepent.

The Horizontal skill unleashed by the player sliced squarely into the monster's weak point, instantly depleting the rest of its Hit Points. The Little Nepent froze, glowed blue, and fractured into countless shards of data.

Breathing deeply, the player lowered his blade, looking with a baleful eye into the distance. However, it seemed the Nepents in the area had not rePOPed yet, and there were no hostile targets in sight.

Abruptly, the player straightened up and whipped his head around, focusing on Mane and Kirito. He raised his blade; Kirito quickly put his hands up in an "I surrender" gesture.

"W-wait!" He called. "I'm just here to do the quest too."

The guy studied them for a few seconds, then relaxed his stance somewhat, keeping his sword at the ready. "You can never be too careful. There are always those who would PK to obtain a dropped ovule."

Kirito acknowledged that. "True... but I'm not that kind of person."

"We'll see." The player walked towards them. "I'll trust you for now... Only because I know I can handle you easily. You both do not look like much of a threat."

Kirito's eye twitched. "Thanks... I guess."

There was a pause.

He indicated himself and Mane. "I am Kirito... this girl here is Mane."

Mane, who all this time had been closely examining the man, gave him an innocent look. "Hai."

The man looked at them sternly, then his mouth twitched into a small smile. His face, slightly lined, looked hard and battle worn. Light brown hair, with a hint of gray, lay combed back over his head with the exception of a single braid, running down the right side of his face.

He also had a manly ponytail.

Towering over them, his tall, muscular stature, along with his Plate Armor, gave him the appearance of a Tank, or a Paladin. Customized red, the armor accented his regal appearance.

Most prominent, though, was his commanding aura. Everything, from his tone, his appearance, to his very presence, radiated authority. As if he constantly broadcasted a message: You had better salute.

He contemplated them for a while. "Granted, you two don't look like a bad sort... I can see honesty in your faces."

_What a cheesy line, _Kirito thought.

"Are you two siblings?"

"Huh?" Kirito blinked. Mane tilted her head.

The man raised an eyebrow. "You two look very similar. Your faces and bodies greatly resemble each other, and it's far too early in the game for anyone to have visited a customization shop, so these must be your real appearances. Twins, by any chance?"

Kirito turned to look at Mane, just as she turned to look at him.

His eyes narrowed. Now that the man had mentioned it, he did see traces of his face in hers. The same nose, eyes, and mouth. The hair was the exact same color... if he let his grow out to shoulder length...

It was as if his face was copied to Mane's and the feminine features amplified.

Even their bodies were similar... the same height, build, both preferred their right hand, though Kirito was ambidextrous... by a coincidence, the colors of their armors were polar opposites, black and white.

He turned back to the guy. "Umm... no, we're not siblings... just friends." Mane nodded several times in agreement, though she had a thoughtful expression on her face.

The player nodded sagely. "I see." He pointed with his sword in the direction of the clearing, where several Little Nepents were appearing via pillars of azure light. Changing the subject, he announced, "I have already been doing this «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest for a while already... no sign of an ovule. I'm almost level 2 by now... The drop rate has definitely been lowered since the beta."

"Really... shoot." Kirito squinted in the direction of the Nepents. "Well, thanks for the info. It was nice meeting you... we won't bother you anymore."

He turned away, but before he could move, a gauntlet lay on his shoulder and firmly held him there. The man's voice reached him from behind. "I was wondering, would you like to party together?"

"Eh?" Kirito faced the man.

"With the drop rate so low, it would take forever to find an ovule. However, I have heard rumors that drop chances increase the bigger the party is; also, we would be able to clear the area relatively quickly if we work together." He held out his hand. "So, how about it? The first two ovules we find will be yours, but you'll have to help me obtain a third as well."

Kirito hesitated. "...uh... I... I-"

It wasn't that he didn't want to party with this player; on the contrary, it did make sense. With more people, it would have been easier to kill off the Nepents. Even if the drop rate of the ovule was extremely small, if many monsters were killed, the chances of one bearing an ovule rose. Plus, it was more experience for all three of them.

However, it was Kirito's old solo instincts telling him to back off. _Two people is enough, _they argued, s_ince Mane doesn't need an Ovule. __It won't benefit you in any way to party with more than that._

There was also the suspicion of him willing to PK for the ovule...

"Kirito?" Mane cut in. He looked at her in surprise.

She considered her words for a moment, then continued "Um... can we party with him?"

"Uh, you want to?"

"Er..." She moved closer to Kirito, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "I.. think you don't trust him?"

Kirito glanced at the player, who was quietly surveying them with a knowing smile. "...no, not really... but to some extent. How do you know?"

"...I just... have this feeling... Kirito, I think we can trust him." Mane bit her lip. "I... I feel he's a nice guy... like you. He's helping to get us back to reality too, right? Can't we all work together?"

"...I'm a nice guy?" Kirito immediately responded. Then he slapped his head. "Ah... well..."

The infamous puppy-eyed look came from Mane. _It seems she remembers how to use female charms to persuade people..._

They maintained eye contact for a few seconds, then Kirito couldn't hold any longer.

"Argh...uh... alright..."

Mane's face broke into a smile. "Thank you~!" and she hugged him.

Kirito stood stunned for a moment, then became conscious of the man watching them carefully. Blushing slightly, he quickly pried Mane off of him, and conveyed to the player, "Then... er, we'll party with you."

The guy examined them closely for a few more seconds, which unnerved Kirito. An awkward silence arose.

Then: "Very well..."

He held out his hand once again for a handshake. This time, Kirito accepted it, then Mane leaned over his shoulder and laid her hand on his.

It was another awkward moment, with Kirito frozen, staring decidedly ahead, while Mane's head rested on his shoulder with a giant smile.

She gently squeezed the back of his hand, and Kirito flushed.

The player gave a wry smile. His red armor glinted purple in the cyan light.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance", he said formally,-

"-My name is Heathcliff."

* * *

Two hours passed.

Like Kirito had guessed due to his appearance, Heathcliff had worked his skills around the role of a front-liner, a damage soaker with moderately high sword skills.

Heathcliff turned out to be extremely proficient the blade. Even though he had at most one or two points in Agility, he still moved swiftly, dodging many attacks and parrying vines with his blade. Even though Sword Art Online had been out for only a few hours, his mastery of the «1-H Sword skills» had already reached 10, which was extremely quick compared to Kirito's skill level of 7, and Mane's of 4.

What Kirito truly admired him for was his unbreakable composure. Once, even as several vines dashed in under his guard and dealt him massive damage, he didn't flinch, nor did he hesitate. He punished the Nepent for overextending itself and sliced it into pieces, all without a change of expression. Then, as if nothing had gone wrong, he nonchalantly unhooked a potion from his belt and took a deep draft.

Potions, purchased at any store in the game for a cheap price, slowly regenerated the player's health back. It took up to 15 seconds for the effects to completely take effect; therefore, most players preferred crystals, which had instantaneous effects. This was advantageous in a dangerous area, where one needed immediate first aid. Crystals, however, were way beyond anyone's budget at level one.

Before they had left the village, he and Mane had done some quick shopping in the local apothecary. With most of their col, they stocked up on large amounts of this item, using the rest of their money to purchase some leather armor from the armory.

Potions also tasted like apple juice, which was a huge bonus.

Both Heathcliff and Kirito leveled up to 2 somewhere during that time. Whereas Heathcliff politely refused to give out his stat info, Kirito guessed he had specced more points into vitality. Kirito himself placed two points in strength and three in agility, bringing them to equal levels.

15 minutes later, Mane also leveled up. She immediately copied Kirito, raising her both Agility and Strength to 5 as well. When Kirito looked at her with a "Really?" expression on his face, she only looked at him innocently.

When Heathcliff first saw Mane draw Historica, he had asked her where it had come from. Mane replied, "I dunno", with a smile, and Heathcliff left it at that, after commenting to Kirito that they would only have to find two ovules after all.

Eventually, they settled into a routine. For each Nepent, Heathcliff moved in, grabbed it's attention, and then Kirito and Mane speedily began hacking at the stalk. In this way, they took down a Nepent every twenty seconds with hardly any damage.

However, even after these two long hours of intense farming, not a single one of the slain plants carried an ovule; or one of those deadly seeds, for that matter.

"...when will the thing drop?", Kirito muttered.

The night had grown deeper, and all traces of sunlight had vanished. The moon was visible, but stars could not be seen unless one was standing at the edge of the floor. Lighting was dim, but due to the trio's searching skills, it was enough to see by.

The clearing was free of Nepents; they had cleared the area so fast they could easily keep up with the respawn rate, and even surpass it. As a result, they were resting against a tree on the edge of the forest, waiting for the next Nepent to come by.

Kirito lay against the tree, resting. He looked through his inventory, counting the number of Nepent vines he had for enhancement. While Historica might have had infinite enhancement slots, the requirements were outrageously high. Compared to the Blue Boar Tusks x10 needed for a basic sword's 95% successful enhancement, Historica ate up 80 Little Nepent Vines for a mere 60% success rate.

Mane looked half-asleep, her head on Kirito's shoulder. She was probably pretty tired, her eyes closed, and breathing calm.

Heathcliff, on the other hand, was standing guard, sword planted in the dirt and his hands upon its pommel. He surveyed their surroundings, alert to any slight noise that might signal a hostile monster.

"I don't know... but we are acquiring large amounts of experience." Heathcliff replied in that soft, firm tone of his. He drew out his menu and checked his level. "I am at 85%, level 2... almost level 3. How about you, Kirito?"

Kirito brought out his stats. "The same. We should level up soon." He closed the window, looked up at Heathcliff, and sighed. "This is so tiring..."

"...Kirito."

Something in Heathcliff's tone made him take notice. "Hmm?"

Heathcliff didn't answer for several seconds. He stared straight ahead, his face unmoving. Kirito raised an eyebrow.

Then: "Kirito, what do you think of what Kayaba Akihiko has made of this world?"

"Ah?"

"This world is now a death game. Loss of HP in this world brings you closer to oblivion." His armor clacked as he turned to face Kirito. His face, if anything, looked twice as serious. "Are you scared? What do you feel?"

For a while the only sound was of the virtual crickets chirping. Kirito looked deep in thought; Heathcliff looked serious. Mane murmured something unintelligible and snuggled closer to Kirito.

Finally, Kirito answered, "I... I feel scared, definitely. But... I have a family, a sister, to go back to. Because I'm still here, they have not attempted to take off my NerveGear... which means they believe that I'll come back, someday."

An image of Klein fluttered to the front of his mind. He glanced back down at Mane's sleeping form. "...and... I have friends I want to save. I want to help them. So I'll get stronger." He gritted his teeth and continued firmly, "I don't want to be afraid... I don't want to think about death. I want to think ahead... believe in the future."

Heathcliff considered his words for a moment, then asked, "What will you do?"

Kirito looked up. "I'm going to help clear this game, get everyone back to reality." He glared at Heathcliff. "Any more questions?"

Heathcliff smiled. "Perhaps one more. If one asked you to join a clearing guild, would you join it?"

"...no."

"Hrm? Why not?"

Kirito shifted. "I'm not that kind of person... I don't like to be confined... within this game, a guild, or otherwise."

The sound of a rePOPing Nepent interrupted them. Both looked to the left in unison, to witness yet another predatory plant rise out of blue light. After a brief moment of scrutiny, both players confirmed that this Nepent also lacked an Ovule.

The mood rapidly became less tense. They sighed.

"Let's hope the RNG Goddess bestows a blessing upon us." Kirito muttered.

* * *

In a burst of shattered polygons, another Nepent bit the dust.

Panting, Kirito and Mane lowered their swords. While they were not physically tired, the mental strain of combat was starting to get to them. Kirito warily checked the chronometer; it was already 9:30.

They had been farming nearly nonstop for two and a half hours.

Even so, Heathcliff's unbreakable composure stood resolute. His face and figure did not show the slightest sign of fatigue. While Kirito and Mane were both worn out, he looked as fresh as he had been when they started.

Their blades, on the other hand, looked to be in a dismal shape. Kirito and Heathcliff were still wielding the starting items, which, sadly, had a pretty low durability level. Even now, one could easily see rust stains and cracks along the blade, and the edges were pitted.

"...What really is the drop rate, do you say?" Kirito gasped.

Mane sighed, "I don't know... I think we should stop for today."

Heathcliff took a moment, deep in thought. "It was announced during the beta that the original drop rate was 3%... now that it's been lowered, it is probably close to around half a percent, or perhaps one." He glanced with a neutral expression at their tired avatars. "...Let us do another thirty minutes or so, then try again in the morning."

Kirito looked to Mane, who shrugged. He turned back to Heathcliff. "Fine by me..."

With perfect timing, another group of Nepents POPed, pillars of light fading away. Just another group of 5 average plant monsters, nothing to worry abo-

"...!" Heathcliff and Kirito suddenly straightened in silent surprise.

The Nepent at the back of the group had an irregular bump resting on top of it's head. As their eyes adjusted, both of them could see that the lump was actually a bulb, resembling the petals of a tulip. It was colored a bright green, speckled with a deep red.

An ovule.

Kirito immediately pointed that one out to Mane, who, after a moment of squinting, noticed the ovule and nodded. Drawing their blades, they leaped towards the group-

-then Heathcliff caught them by the scruffs of their necks, dragging them to an unmerciful halt and nearly choking them.

"Gck!" Kirito's momentum swept his legs from underneath him and he fell flat onto the ground. "H-Heathcliff! What...?"

Without a word, Heathcliff simply pointed a finger at the mass of Nepents. Kirito followed his line of sight; he could just make out another Nepent at the back of the group, behind the target.

"What's wrong with tha-" he began indignantly.

Then his focus cleared, and Kirito could see the large, perfectly round shape resting on top of the "mouth" of the second Nepent.

He stared at it in complete dismay. The Nepent rePOPing right next to the target just had to carry a trap, the seed that would attract every Nepent in a half-mile radius. Such a situation would be a definite death sentence.

It would be extremely difficult to be able to engage and kill the one carrying the Ovule without attracting the attention of the seed carrier, as they were only a few meters apart.

The ovule on the Nepent waggled invitingly, while the seed bobbled gently on the Nepent's head, as if taunting them.

_What do we do..._

The best solution would have been to wait for the two to travel different ways, but Kirito had heard a rumor during the beta that, if the ovule was left unattended for a few minutes, it would morph into another trap. Even as he watched, he thought he could see the ovule slowly becoming more spherical.

Kirito clenched his fist.

_Tch... What do we do?_

Mane, who had still been searching the crowd of Nepents, finally caught sight of the Fruit.

She balked and squeaked, "That's... that's... death seed?"

Mane took several rapid steps back.

Kirito turned and frowned. "Mane?"

Something was wrong. She was clearly hyperventilating, eyes wide. The color seemed to have drained out of her face. She stuttered out, "I-I..."

Her entire body quivered as if experiencing an electric shock. She collapsed to her knees.

Kirito quickly knelt next to her. "Mane! Mane, what's wrong?"

Heathcliff, also knelt, closely looking at her.

Mane swallowed audibly and whimpered, "...death... I... don't...Kirito..." She gasped.

Heathcliff turned his head to look at Kirito. "This looks like... fear."

"Fear." Kirito repeated numbly. He gently held Mane's head in his hands.

"Excessive fear... Hyperventilation... Incoherent speech... I think..." Heathcliff listened closely to her words, confirming his thoughts. "...the fear of death. Thanatophobia."

Kirito stayed silent, patting Mane on the back, trying to calm her down.

"She fears death." Heathcliff put it bluntly. "This looks to be an extreme case, however... every cell in her brain is probably telling her to be afraid. I think, her mind must have associated that Nepent seed-trap with certain death."

_"If you slice the seed, it will attract every single «Little Nepent» in a wide area... almost certainly a death sentence for us."_

Kirito remembered those words, the words he had said when explaining the Nepents to Mane.

_Ngh... I never thought she would react like this... fear of death..._

Mane shuddered violently. Kirito could see tears on her face.

"Mane... it's okay, Mane! It's okay!" He gritted his teeth as Mane groaned. "Mane... Mane! You'll be okay! You're not gonna die!"

Those were the first words that came to the front of his mind. Even as he spoke them, he berated himself for the useless words.

Yet, as impulsive as they were, they seemed to have a marginal effect. Mane stopped thrashing, and she lay limp, panting. She clutched at Kirito's arm like a lifeline, eyes screwed shut. "Kirito..."

She remained prone for a while, then suddenly shakily pulled herself into a sitting position. Leaning against Kirito, she opened her eyes, which were red from the tears.

Mane looked utterly exhausted, completely opposite her energetic form a few moments ago. She murmured, "Kirito... I... I'm sorry..."

Kirito gently put his arm around her. "It's okay, Mane. There's nothing to be sorry about."

"But... death..." She weakly gestured. "I... I can't think... about death... I don't want to... I..."

"Mane." Kirito lifted her head and looked straight into her eyes. "Mane, fight it."

"I... I-I can't..."

"You can." Kirito had never felt this resolute before. "You can. You will get stronger. If you're stronger than the enemy, you won't die. If you're not, I'll protect you."

Mane slowly looked at him. "You... will protect me?"

"I..." Kirito nodded. "yes. I...I swear you will not die."

She gave a weak smile, and with Kirito's help, gradually stood up. Taking several deep breaths, she somewhat calmed down.

More to herself than to anyone else, she said quietly, "Well... if Kirito will protect me... It will be alright..."

Kirito finally realized what he had been saying, and froze. His cheeks were tinged with red.

Heathcliff, who had been watching with his usual stoic expression, finally broke the silence. "Kirito, that ovule will probably change into a trap soon. We will need to slay it quickly."

Suddenly remembering the circumstances, Kirito suddenly became anxious. "What should we do? I don't think Mane can fight in this condition..."

The red-armored player stepped towards the Nepents, drawing his sword. With his never ending calm, he ordered, "Kirito, take the one with the Ovule. I'll handle others... Mane, rest. The Nepent's should not attack you there..." He pointed at the edge of the forest. "Rejoin us when you feel better."

They both nodded. Kirito sprinted forward with Heathcliff, as Mane slowly sat down leaning against the tree, closing her eyes warily.

Heathcliff charged directly at the group. All 5, including the Ovule and the Fruit, both locked on to him as he presented himself as a hostile target. They hissed in unison, a seething cacophony that rattled Kirito's ears.

Diving forward, he nicked all of them but the one carrying the ovule with the tip of his blade, ensuring that their attention would stay focused on him as he drew them to the east.

Kirito followed suit, holding his blade in a ready position. The system recognized it, and the blade flashed a dark blue, signalling the beginning of a sword skill.

He focused on the last Nepent, the one with the ovule. It's cursor popped up, shaded a deep magenta. The closer the color to violet, the more powerful the monster was compared to the one viewing it. In response to being targeted, it hissed and raised its vines threateningly.

With a mighty yell, Kirito swung his sword in an underhand vertical arc, slicing the underside of the bulb with the blade. While next to no damage was registered, the force of the swing forced the Nepent's head back, exposing the stalk.

Even with a spawn rate of around 1%, the Ovule Little Nepent was, in a combat sense, no different from the regular Little Nepents that lived in the area. Immediately bringing his sword around, Kirito activated the sword skill Horizontal, drawing a neat line though the stalk, causing massive damage.

A vine whipped around from the left; Kirito tilted his blade and deflected the blow. A gurgling sound came from the mouth area; Kirito immediately dodged to the right and narrowly avoided the stream of acid. Steam and fumes rose from where it hit the ground. Rolling forward, he used the Slant skill to deal an attack while edging himself into a better position behind the monster.

Spinning around, he used Horizontal again to deal the death blow to the Nepent, cutting the stalk cleanly in half.

The pitcher-mouth on top gave one last screech, then it flashed and shattered into countless shards of data. The mass of vines that made up it's body also fragmented.

A small, tulip-shaped object rolled out of the light, coming to a stop at Kirito's feet. He quickly picked it up and stashed it in his temporary inventory, or a miniature pouch mounted on his belt. If the game was still normal, items in the temporary inventory would have been deleted if the player logged out.

Whirling around, he raced back in the direction Heathcliff had lured the Nepents.

Along the way, he returned to where Mane was resting. She was waiting for him, eyes open and alert.

"Did you get the thing?", she inquired.

Kirito quickly showed her the ovule, then asked, "Do you feel better? Are... are you still afraid?"

Mane seemed to deflate. "I... I'm still very scared, yes."

Kirito sensed a _"But..."._

Her face still looked sad, but her eyes shined resolutely. "But... I don't want to be scared all my life... I'll get stronger, so I won't have to be afraid anymore. I don't want to be afraid... I don't want to think about death. I want to think ahead... believe in the future."

Kirito blinked several times in surprise.

Those were the exact words he had mentioned to Heathcliff earlier during their conversation about Aincrad's situation. He was sure Mane was asleep at the time; she could not have heard them. Yet... to have said the exact same words, in the exact same tone, that was too much of a coincidence.

Nor did she realize she seem to realize she had copied Kirito's earlier phrases. "Kirito? Um... Kirito?"

"...nothing." Perhaps it was just coincidence. "We need to help Heathcliff.. he's distracting the other four Nepents right now."

He raced towards the east, following the path where Heathcliff had ran. Mane followed closely behind, wanting to help.

"Heathcliff! Are you..."

The words died in Kirito's throat as he reached the top of the hill, witnessing Heathcliff driving his blade into the pitcher-head of one of the two remaining Nepents. A scream rent the air, and the plant scattered into polygons.

The last Nepent, slowly swaying back and forth, was the one carrying the seed-trap. Heathcliff had managed to kill the other 4 Nepents without laying a hand on the trapped one... As Kirito focused on the armor-clad player, the green cursor blinked up, as well as his 4/5ths full HP bar.

To have been able to do all that, as well as sustaining minimal damage... Kirito was even more surprised.

Without looking at him, Heathcliff called, "Kirito, did you get the ovule?" His sword waved a lazy trail in front of the Nepent's face.

"Yes, I did... Mane is feeling better too. Do you..?"

The sword swung back as a red halo surrounded it, heralding the use of a sword skill.

"No need..." Heathcliff muttered. "Stand back!"

With a monstrous crash, the blade smashed into the stalk of the plant, instantly depleting a little less than half of it's HP. It shrieked in pain, vines flailing wildly.

Kirito and Mane watched as Heathcliff drew back his weapon for another blow. Crimson energy once again surrounded the edge.

Time slowed to a crawl.

The tendrils of red power arced off of Heathcliff's blade as it began it's journey to the Nepent's stalk. The vines slowly whipped through the air, acid dripping from the Nepent's mouth.

A silver line flashed itself at the edge of Kirito's vision.

His eyes glanced right, catching sight of a gray projectile hurtling towards the battle taking place below.

_...!?_

A thin, steel needle. Conically shaped. A dark light trailing behind it denoted the system-assisted Throwing Skill.

A «throwing pick». It was a common item in many stores on the first floor, and one of the only forms of projectile weaponry in the game. While being relatively cheap and ranged, it was almost never purchased by many players due to the fact that it had next to no base damage.

Then Kirito glanced further back to focus on a figure standing by the trees, whose arm was stretched out as if he had just thrown something. A green cursor floated above his head.

With his enhanced vision due to «Searching», he could see a satisfied smile on the figures face, the rest of it cast in shadow.

His eyes widened.

_What!? How did I not notice him?_

Kirito's searching skill should have alerted him to the figure a long time before he could have gotten this close.

He whirled around, arm outstretched, mouth open to deliver a warning. Mane looked at him, surprised.

Too slow.

Time unfroze.

The pick hurtled across the clearing, whipped past Heathcliff's head, and accurately buried itself in the seed resting on the head of the Nepent.

* * *

The blast exploded outwards with deafening force, popping Kirito's eardrums. A massive cloud of fumes spewed out, carried by the virtual wind to the entire forest. The area quickly took on the smell of rotten eggs.

Heathcliff had been blown backwards, landing on his back with a surprised grunt. He immediately twisted around and got back to his feet. "What...!?"

Kirito was already running towards the trees, searching frantically for the thrower. _He couldn't have ran more than 5 meters yet-_

Yet no matter how hard he looked, he could not find the cursor, nor the rest of the player. Kirito was sure his Searching level enabled him to sense the cursors from up to 20 meters away, but the green cursor was nowhere in sight.

He could have escaped using a «Teleport Crystal», but that was impossible. They didn't drop from any monsters on the first floor, nor did any shops sell them. Besides, they cost 3 times the starting amount of Col.

The only other reason... «Hiding». Concealing the avatar and cursor from both players and monsters was one of the first skills learned in the Hiding skill tree. However, it rendered the user immobile while active, which meant the player was still in the general area.

It would also explain why Kirito had not noticed him, even with the Searching skill.

The mass of fumes was spreading out over the forest, alerting every single Nepent to their general location. Even though he couldn't sense the player, Kirito could see the numerous cursors quickly heading towards the clearing.

_MPK._

A common tactic. Lure the victims into a high-level area, and set the aggression of single monster on them. With the Nepents, it had been a simple matter to attack and trigger the seed. Focus over 20 monsters onto a player at once, ensuring no chance of survival.

The player's Hiding skill had not only been intended to be used to escape the players, it had also been intended to avoid the Nepents. With a triggered seed-trap, there would be a huge crowd of Nepents in the area, attacking everything. It would be impossible to escape, to run away, as the plant monsters actually had a higher movement value than the average player.

But then one could use the «Concealment» skill in the «Hiding» skill tree to conceal themselves from monster aggression.

"Kirito!"

Eyes twitching due to the smell and fumes, Heathcliff and Mane ran up to him. Mane was coughing, while Heathcliff now looked three times as serious as before, if that were even possible. His face was like a rock, his gaze hard as if his eyes could fire lasers.

Worried, Kirito looked over Mane, but she seemed to be stable. Though, she was shivering a little, eyes wide in surprise and fear.

"Kirito, what happened?"

Heathcliff gritted his teeth, interjecting, "I saw another cursor behind you, then it vanished. Was that...?"

Kirito nodded and quickly described to them what he had seen. "That guy's trying to MPK us. He's still around here somewhere... but he's currently using «Concealment», we won't be able to find him until our searching skills are higher."

"MPK?" Mane didn't understand the term.

"«Monster Player Killing». It's when a player uses a trap of some kind to lock in a player against some very strong monsters... to..." Kirito hesitated. "...kill them."

"...Kill them..?" Mane swallowed. "But... but players... we're supposed to work together! Get back to real life!"

Heathcliff's hardened voice interjected, "Humans are selfish. Some will do anything to get stronger... even to kill other humans. Kirito." He drew his sword and surveyed the forest behind him. "There are around twenty approaching on this side."

"Twenty cursors on this side as well. Forty in total..." Kirito grimaced. "No escape. We'll have to fight..."

Mane suddenly froze, her respiration becoming ragged.

Kirito tensed. _Thanatophobia!_

She shut her eyes and held her breath for a moment, then let it out. Her was face strained as she tried to rein in her fear.

Taking another few deep mouthfuls of air, she seemed to calm down. Her shuddering stopped, but her facial expression still showed anxiety.

She said with a shaky voice:

"W-wait...this player... we... why would he try to kill us?"

Both Heathcliff and Kirito looked at her.

Kirito said slowly, "Mane... there will always be a good person and a bad person... this person really wants to go home... he doesn't want to risk dying. So he's using us to help him get home... by killing us and taking the ovule. That way... there would be no risk to him. He would get stronger without any danger."

"Why... wha..." She took a shuddering breath. "Why... how can he... kill others? He should be helping everyone get back home!"

Heathcliff forcefully dragged Kirito and Mane to face the legion of Nepents coming from the west. With an unmerciful tone: "He wants to go home. He wants to go home so badly he doesn't care how many people he kills to get home. He wants to go home so badly he doesn't care about which method he uses to survive."

Mane looked devastated. "...how... why..."

"There is always an opposite side. There are good people and bad people. Some people will even kill others just for the fun of it. Listen," Heathcliff pointed as Mane flinched at the idea, while Kirito tried to soothe her. "we should be able to survive this if we eliminate that group of twenty before the twenty behind us begin to target us."

As he tried to comfort Mane, Kirito drew his sword, then frowned. "Why won't they target us first?"

Heathcliff thinly smiled. It was a sarcastic smile, with no warmth or humor in it whatsoever. "Our good friend the «Hiding» PKer will distract them."

Mane, tears leaking out of her eyes, looked up. "But... he's invisible? He'll... just..." Blink blink. "...wait... for them too... kill us." She shrunk a little at her own words.

"«Concealment» isn't airtight... literally. His scent will still reach the Nepents, smell is how they sense their surroundings. He must have not have used «Hiding» before in the Beta... I have, and it doesn't work against Nepents, at least not at his level." Heathcliff glanced behind them. "Look."

Observing the detachment of plants behind them, Kirito noted that Heathcliff was right; the entire group was veering away from the trio and heading directly towards the thicket where Kirito had first seen the player. There was a shout of surprise.

Mane, eyes still fixated on the plants locked onto them, shivered and asked, "Kirito... we won't...die...right?"

Kirito gritted his teeth as he surveyed the approaching group. _We can do this._ "Yes, Mane. We'll get through this... None of us will die."

The young girl let out a deep sigh, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Drawing Historica, she faced the Nepents. Her brow was furrowed, face tense, and her entire body shook periodically, but her eyes glared.

"Now..." Heathcliff settled into a sword stance, raising his blade. "...cover me. Attack any you can. Drink a potion if you sustain any sort of damage."

His basic sword flashed a deep, blood red. With no further words, he leaped at the nearest Nepent, who drew back its vines.

"Come on!" Kirito shouted to Mane. After a moment of hesitation, Mane quickly followed.

Kirito rushed to Heathcliff's side, blade blazing a violent blue. With a primal yell, he flung himself at a Little Nepent who was trying to attack Heathcliff from the side.

The Horizontal neatly caught the Nepent as it drew back its head. With a horrendous ripping sound, the head was violently torn off the stalk. The critical hit depleted its HP instantly, causing both halves of the monster to dissolve into light.

Next to him, Mane's blade gleamed with a silver glow, shakily drawing an arc in the air as it looped underneath the pitchers of two Nepents, dealing a respectable amount of damage to each. Kirito's blade flashed out in a backhand Horizontal, dispatching one of them before he focused his attention to another, leaving the second to Mane.

Mane looked extremely strained, her knuckles white as she gripped Historica tightly. Still wrestling with her inner turmoil, her next attack missed, barely making contact with the stalk and whacking against the pitcher.

A vine looped around Historica and whipped her on the shoulder, carving off 15% of her HP. Flinching, she instinctively sliced upwards, and the system recognized it as the activation movement for the Slant skill. The attack cut deep into the stalk and smacked the underside of the Nepent's head. Although ineffective, it was enough to reduce its HP to zero, and the Nepent vanished from the world.

Suddenly releasing a large, pent-up breath, Mane quickly grabbed a potion from her belt and drafted it in a single gulp.

_I'm not afraid._ She told herself. _There's nothing to be afraid of... we won't die. _

_Kirito will protect me..._

Gritting her teeth against the fear pounding in her heart, she raised Historica again and attacked another Nepent.

Heathcliff was charging through the crowd of monsters, calculatingly swinging his blade through the monsters over and over. His higher vitality and strength allowed him to best the Nepents with a greater efficiency than Mane and Kirito, often taking on two or three at once. Primarily using Horizontal, he cut a large swath through the enemies, red afterglows lingering in his wake.

However, through sheer numbers, the three were soon forced back-to-back, surrounded on all sides. Their HP had dropped significantly, potion supplies running out.

Six Little Nepents remained, hissing and waving their vines. Sticky strands of liquid hung from their pitchers, burning minor holes in the grass.

Suddenly, a wordless scream rent the air. The Nepents turned to look, AI registering the sound. Kirito and Mane also paused.

The player Kirito had seen earlier, armed with a basic sword, was finally overwhelmed by the Nepents. He had only lasted this long due to the sparse space in his thicket; only 2 Nepents could engage him at a time, while the rest impatiently waited for their comrades to fall to take their place.

With a howl, he activated a Slant skill, driving it into the stalk of one Nepent. As it shattered, another one attacked from behind with both its vines in an X pattern, cutting through his leather armor and skin, revealing the red wire frame of his character.

His back arched due to the force. He screamed again.

The red bar representing his HP hit zero, and the indicator faded with a sinister "Beeeeeeeep".

His voice trailed off into nothing. The player's avatar slowly froze, and took on an azure tinge. The edges of his character blurred, then the entire body fizzed as if his data had been bugged.

With absolute finality, he burst into countless polygons that slowly evaporated into the air, leaving behind tiny stars of light that lingered for a while longer.

The sound of shattering glass split the air.

It had all taken only seconds. Not even two minutes had passed since the seed had been destroyed.

Both Mane and Kirito swallowed painfully. Turning their attention back to the enemies at hand, they viciously attacked. With Heathcliff's help, they made short work of the remaining Nepents.

All three of them had less than half their HP. As a result, their bars had turned a sickly yellow, indicating they were in the 25% to 50% zone. In the brief respite they had, they quaffed their remaining potions and turned to face the last of the monsters.

Only 12 cursors remained, which meant the PKer had managed to fend off and slay 8 of the Nepents before finally falling. An impressive amount.

"Good job." Kirito whispered, an honorary compliment to the dead.

A small explosion of particles rose from Heathcliff's hand: he had finished his last potion. Plucking his sword from where he had stuck it in the dirt, he settled into a defensive stance. His HP bar slowly regenerated, heading back into the green.

Mane was panting hard, eyes half closed. While her HP was relatively higher than either Kirito's or Heathcliff's, she was also a lot more tired. Unnecessary tension due to fighting her fear had left her exhausted, her mental fatigue compounded as she fought the predatory plants. She rested on one knee, trying to regain her composure.

Kirito was also beginning to feel the strain of combat; yet, he forced himself onto his feet, blade at the ready.

Quickly helping Mane to her feet, he held her eyes with his for a moment. A reassuring message passed between the two, and Mane dredged up her last reserves of mental energy, drawing Historica.

Silently, he nodded to Heathcliff, and they attacked the remainder of the monsters.

Out of the twelve, two of the Nepents carried a large bulb on top of their heads. They had already sustained some damage, leaving them at around 60%.

If the PKer had just farmed normally, without resorting to PK, he would have gotten his ovule even after Heathcliff took his.

But now he was dead. He had tried to kill, and died for it. Those were the consequences of his actions. Time and history could not be changed.

Three of the Little Nepents flung their heads back, signalling they were about to cough up their corrosive acid. Charging forward, Heathcliff and Kirito dealt dual Horizontals to their exposed stalks, instantly obliterating their HP. All three were silenced before a drop of liquid could be spilled.

With Mane's help, the last 9 were brought down in half a minute, thus leaving the trio alone in the clearing.

* * *

Their HP bars had all dropped dangerously low. Heathcliff in particular had taken a lot of damage, being in the front all the time. None of them had more than 35% of their health. Kirito was already in the red, hovering at 20%.

All three of them had leveled up to 3 sometime during the chaos, even almost reaching level 4, but they were in no shape to be thinking about stat points.

Mane collapsed as soon as it was all over, finally succumbing to her exhaustion. Holding back her fear and the normal mental strain of combat had taken its toll on her. Historica clattered as it fell from her loosened grip, and she lay sideways on the ground, breathing hard.

Her face no longer looked tense; instead, she looked completely worn out. Her eyes were shut.

Kirito was in no better shape. He plunged his basic sword into the dirt and leaned on it, gasping for air.

_We're still alive..., _he wondered.

Heathcliff looked as solemn as ever, though weary. He also leaned on his sword, breathing hard.

Slowly, Kirito walked unsteadily towards the thicket where the PKer who started it all had died. On the spot where he had been killed, his basic sword and a buckler he must have purchased from the village lay on the grass. Both were pitted and corroded, stains of acid still steaming on them.

His two skill points had evidently been used in the «Hiding» and «Knives» skill tree, as shown by his actions. Knife skills could still be used with swords, but with their effectiveness diminished immensely. To have been able to dispatch eight of the Nepents with knife based skills, Kirito faintly admired his talent.

Strangely, he felt no resentment towards the man, even though he had nearly killed all of them. It was as if Kirito could understand his desperation, his fear. He understood why the PKer had been driven to this point.

If he had not decided to PK... what would he have become? Would he have rose to be one of the top players? Certainly, his swordsmanship had been remarkable.

Taking the fallen items, he impaled the sword on the spot, and hung the buckler on its hilt. A makeshift gravestone. The durability of the items would slowly drop, eventually disappearing as the system deleted them, but it would stand for a good amount of time.

The player had died... to be exact, his HP had reached zero. Whether his consciousness returned to the real world outside or not... there was no way to find out. There were no means to confirm whether the man behind the avatar had arrived back in reality or been consumed by the void.

With a heavy air, Kirito stumbled back to the other two. Heathcliff was waiting for him.

"We need to go now... if another group of Nepents were to rePOP, we would be in serious trouble... let us head back to Horunka village."

Kirito silently nodded, not trusting his tongue to speak coherently. He walked over to Mane, who was still curled up on the ground, half-conscious.

He warily laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Mane... are you...alright?" Kirito softly asked. His voice was barely audible.

She shifted, opening her eyes. She looked utterly defeated.

"...Kiri-to...kun...I..."

She strained to lift herself up, but inexorably flopped back onto the ground with a deep sigh. She was so mentally exhausted she had no control over her avatar.

_Mane..._

Kirito knelt and picked her up, arm around her back and under her legs. Like the first time, he was mildly surprised at how light she was.

Still, his fatigue made his knees wobble. He nearly fell over.

He panted out, "Heathcliff... let's... go?"

Heathcliff nodded, and pulled out a small, incomplete map from his menu. Tracing the path with his finger, he motioned for Kirito to follow him as he stashed the two ovules that had dropped in his temporary inventory.

Fortunately, perhaps because all the monsters in the area had been attracted by the seed and killed by the players, the trio did not encounter any hostiles on the way back to Horunka Village. They made it as fast as they could, taking their stamina into consideration.

The village bell chimed just as they entered the village. 10 o'clock, the chronometer read.

Lit torches lined the streets of the village, and unlike before, they weren't deserted. Several players, identified by their green cursors, were walking around looking for places to spend the night.

Those were probably also Beta Testers, as they had the resources and knowledge to arrive here. Most of the other players were still at Starting City, at level one... If this went on, there would be a huge gap in between testers and newer players... but Kirito stopped thinking about that as they neared the private house in the corner of the village.

The flickering lights coming from inside the house danced on their faces, suggesting a roaring fireplace had been lit. Mane, who had fallen into a uneasy slumber somewhere along the way, seemed to relax and loosen up under the dancing and warming glow.

Heathcliff stopped outside and turned to face Kirito, his face half cast in shadow. "Here we part ways."

He slipped out the window and entered several commands; a notice popped up in front of Kirito, glowing in the dark.

|| Heathcliff would like to be your friend!

|| - Accept

|| - Decline

A tap, and Heathcliff was added to his friends list. _3 friends in less than half a day... 3 more than the amount of friends I had in all my previous games combined.  
_

Heathcliff then sent the invite to Mane as well, the system storing it for future reference as Mane was still asleep. Then he opened up another menu, and the message "Leader Heathcliff has left the party. Your party has been disbanded." appeared in front of him. Mane and Heathcliff's health bars disappeared from the top left corner of Kirito's vision.

The red paladin rummaged in his belt pouch for a second, then withdrew one of the ovules. Handing it to him, he said "Give that one to Mane when she awakens. She won't need the «Anneal Blade»... but the bonus col and experience is not negligible either. Perhaps she can give the weapon to one in need..."

Kirito nodded numbly. Gently lowering Mane, he shouldered her back and retrieved the ovule with the freed hand. Slipping it into his inventory, he hoisted her sleeping form up again. Mane murmured, then let out yet another deep sigh.

"...I have a question. Kirito."

The statement suddenly came out of the blue; Kirito grunted an affirmation.

"Who is Mane?"

Kirito blinked. "I... what?"

Heathcliff frowned and repeated, "What is she to you? Where did you find her? She seems... different. Feels strange."

"..."

Kirito was reluctant to answer. For some reason, he believed the matter of Mane's memory loss was a private matter... Not to be mentioned to anyone. He felt she might be in danger if he spoke of it to another...

Then he remembered: "_Kirito, I think we can trust him."_

Well, if Mane trusted him... perhaps it would be okay. Besides, it seemed Heathcliff already knew something.

"...I found her in the streets of Starting City. She has no memories."

Heathcliff raised an eyebrow. "No memories?"

"Her mind had been randomly burnt out… she remembers some things, but not others. For example… Mane knows about the friends list system, and the stat screens… but she doesn't remember the skill categories nor anything about sword skills…"

Heathcliff stayed silent, staring at Kirito. However, it seemed his focus was not on Kirito himself.

"She doesn't even know anything about reality… real life. All she knows is that this is a game… and a game of death. She's very scared…"

"…me too."

"Huh?"

"…I have no memories either."

Kirito nearly dropped Mane. "What?!"

Heathcliff, with his ever-stoic composure, murmured, "I still remember what is real life… I remember the beta test and many things about Sword Art Online and Aincrad… but I don't remember any personal memories. Just my name, Heathcliff."

Kirito wordlessly contemplated the red-clad player.

"…I had thought… something was similar. Her manner of bearing…her drive to clear the game… and childish innocence to believe the best of everyone." Another of his thin smiles. "I… feel the same... considering the game. I feel my sole goal in life is to clear Aincrad. I cannot explain it."

Kirito still did not say anything.

"…I woke up in Starting City today… just as Kayaba Akihiko began his tutorial. That is my first memory. Before that… is nothing."

He finally regained control of his vocal chords. "Heathcliff… you…"

Suddenly, Heathcliff groaned, then fell to one knee. His hands clutched his head.

Startled, Kirito dashed over and knelt next to him. "Heathcliff!"

Heathcliff's head shot up. His eyes flashed as they caught the light, causing Kirito to freeze.

"...Heathcliff?"

That stare... it was as if Heathcliff had become a whole different person. Completely different from his previous calm looks, his sight pierced Kirito and held in in place.

Heathcliff straightened up slowly, as if testing his strength. All the while, he continued to fix Kirito with his scanning gaze.

Then: "Take care of Mane. You two are more alike than you think... you rely on each other more than you think."

He turned and began to walk away. "I will turn in the ovule tomorrow morning. Farewell."

Still holding Mane, Kirito stared after his retreating form. _What...?_

Without looking back, Heathcliff waved his hand. "Thank you for partying with me. It was very enjoyable... Let us meet again."

The red paladin vanished into the night.

* * *

The golden "!" above the village woman's head vanished as she accepted the two ovules from him. With a winning smile, she traversed the length of the kitchen to a chest stored at the end of the room. With a small huff, she heaved it open, and withdrew two longswords sheathed in red scabbards. While looking old, they gave off the feeling of a regal weapon, of far better quality than the «Basic Sword».

"Thanks" Kirito said to the woman, more out of courtesy than anything else. With a smile, she bowed and thanked him once again for the ovules.

Returning to her position behind the counter, she opened the pot and dropped the two bulbs inside. Shutting the lid with an iron clasp, she went back about her business.

A victory chime echoed in his ears as a Quest Complete notice popped up. The experience awarded boosted both him and Mane to level 4, and a second message appeared in his vision denoting the occasion.

Mane was sitting in one of the chairs, noisily drinking the water the woman had offered her. Kirito walked over to her and also sat down. One of the «Anneal Blades» was equipped on his back, and he handed the other to her. It disappeared into her inventory, and Kirito rested his head on the table.

Mane looked at him. "Kirito-kun? Are you...?"

"Yeah... I'm alright... thanks."

By the time Kirito had carried her inside the house and then gently prodded her awake, Mane had apparently recovered from her fatigue. At least, she seemed normal again, her breathing even and stress gone from her face.

She had asked where Heathcliff had gone, and then noticed the friend notice and accepted it. Then, she asked for some water.

Still, Kirito had neglected to mention Heathcliff's strange action. He remembered the spasm, that stare, the look that had pierced through his face.

_That... that wasn't Heathcliff._

Kirito was sure that the person who had stared at him was not Heathcliff. He didn't understand why, but it wasn't the stalwart warrior who had given him that look.

It bothered him.

"Kirito... Kirito-kun?"

Kirito looked at Mane. "When did you start calling me -kun?"

Mane hesitated. "Um... I dunno."

Kirito gave her a deadpan stare, then sighed. He stared at the NPC woman, who was busy ladling a serum from the pot into a large wooden bowl. She picked it up and left the room.

Following some instinct, Kirito got up and followed her.

"Kirito-kun?" Mane stood up and watched, slightly bewildered, as Kirito exited the kitchen.

He trailed the woman into the hallway, and the NPC curved right into a room, holding the medicine. He remembered he had tried to follow the NPC during the beta period, but the system had locked the door as soon as the woman went inside. Now, the door stood open.

Despite his misgivings, he stepped in front of the door, and looked inside.

A small bedroom. A simple bed, drawer, and chair. Upon the bed lay a child, a young girl.

She looked to be about seven or eight years old, but her skin lay stretched on her bones. The sickness was apparent in the bloodlessness of her skin, the thinness of her arms. Even as he watched, the girl broke into a coughing fit.

The cursor above her head was a sunny yellow, denoting another NPC. The name underneath that read Agatha.

The woman who had given the quest knelt next to the bed, holding the bowl of medicine. She held it out to the young girl, saying, "Here, this traveling swordsman brought you this medicine. It will heal you for sure... so please drink it."

With a small, faint voice, Agatha murmured, "...okay..."

The tone and volume of her voice reminded Kirito of Mane when he had first met her.

Taking the bowl in her hands, helped by the woman, she slowly consumed the medicine. Perhaps it was just Kirito's imagination, but her face seemed to have more of a flesh-like tone to it after she gulped down the serum.

Then Agatha noticed the young man in the doorway, looking at her. She gave a weak smile.

"Thank you, traveling swordsman-sama." She said with that soft tone of hers.

A sudden memory appeared in his mind, and a wave of emotion welled up in Kirito's chest. Suddenly blinking a lot more, he managed to reply, "You're welcome... please get better."

Her smile, if possible, became brighter. "I will."

Kirito turned and walked back to the kitchen. Mane was still there, still standing at the table, waiting for him. Surely she must have heard their words, as the room was only a few meters away.

His face must have looked pretty sad, because Mane asked worriedly, "Kirito-kun... are you okay?"

Kirito finally broke, falling to his knees in the middle of the kitchen. He gritted his teeth, looking at his upturned hands, and his cheeks felt strangely wet. His breathing became ragged.

Mane limped over to his side and stood on her knees in front of him as well. "Kirito..."

Her voice... was so much like Agatha's... and Suguha's. The tone, the feeling...

His emotions finally overwhelmed him, and he cried. Even when his eyes were squeezed shut, the tears were let loose, spilling out and collecting in the palms of his hands. He made strange hiccuping noises.

Mane awkwardly hugged him, trying to placate him. "Kirito-kun..."

They stayed like that for a minute.

Kirito began to whisper, just loud enough for Mane to hear. Every few words, his speech was punctuated by sobs.

"In the real world... in reality... my sister, Suguha... she got sick. A long time ago... our parents were away... I had to take care of her."

"It was a cold... her head was extremely hot... and I was placing wet towels on her head to... cool her down... it sort of helped..."

"Then... she asked me... for some ginger tea."

"I didn't know how... I had to ask my mother... and I made some for her... it was very hard... for me... with no... cooking experience."

Mane silently listened.

"I... I brought her the tea... I had cut my own fingers... pretty badly... while making it... the tea probably tasted bad... anyways..."

"But... when I... got it to her... she... I..."

"She was usually quite... spiteful and... condescending to me... but she... she looked up at me... and... she... she..."

"Thanked you."

Mane filled in for him. The memory brought more fresh tears for Kirito.

"Kirito-kun...you miss your family."

It wasn't a question, but a statement. A simple fact of truth.

"...yes..."

Kirito sobbed in silence.

Mane finally broke the impasse. "We will definitely get back. Kirito-kun... don't worry. I... I will protect you too."

Up until he finally stopped crying, Mane never stopped comforting him.

A single tear made it's way down her cheek.

* * *

Kirito finally realized the reality of Sword Art Online.

A cage.

It wasn't the death that Kirito feared.

It was the fact that he was imprisoned. Caged. Cut off...

He was trapped. In the parallel dimension of Aincrad.

He would never be able to return to life again... at least, for an extremely long time. Perhaps even never.

Perhaps his sister and mother were right next to him. Perhaps even his father was there. Yet, he could not speak with them... See them... Hear them.

He was alone. Alone, in the darkness of this world. In Aincrad.

No, not alone.

He had friends.

Mane, embracing him, comforting him. Someone he cared for and who cared for him.

Klein, the raffishly humorous, reliable friend, pillar of support.

Heathcliff, righteous and solemn, unbreakable.

He had friends. People who would stand by him.

Kirito was trapped. But he could get out.

With the help of his friends.

With the help of his friends, Kirito believed, he would return home.

He would help everyone return home.

Help everyone get back to reality.

* * *

Kayaba Akihiko smiled. "Imagine my surprise when I saw my avatar walking and talking all by itself."

Koujiro Rinko frowned. "I would think it was quite astonishing for you."

They fell silent. Kayaba Akihiko sat on the cot, holding a NerveGear in his hands. Rinko stood in the doorway, silhouetted and cast in shadow as the only source of light was behind her, out in the hallway.

Both of them knew what the other knew, yet nobody spoke it and put it out in the open. It was a sort of game they played.

Finally Kayaba asked his question. "How did you get past the firewalls and encrypting I set up around the TAIC?"

"It was moderately challenging, but I know your patterns from university. I guessed and I was right." Rinko shrugged. "My hacking and programming skills have improved as well."

Despite the light tone of their banter, the air between them contained a tension that was as frosty as ice.

Another question: "Who did you copy?"

"It is not for you to know."

"How did you change it? I noticed the improvements."

"I programmed a separate patch."

"I always knew your skills were top notch. In such a short amount of time, too. How did you get it into the system?"

Rinko's brow furrowed. "There were loopholes. You locked the system to interference, but your coding was worded so nothing could be removed or changed. I simply added."

Kayaba nodded, looking somewhat pleased.

Koujiro's eyes narrowed. "What's there to be happy about? Shouldn't you be angry?"

"Angry? Hardly." Akihiko chuckled. "My goal was this situation itself. Aincrad. A parallel dimension with death. Had you interfered with the production of the castle, I would have been moderately upset... but something as trivial as this puts an interesting twist in things."

Rinko stayed silent.

"I am, however, a little peeved about how you don't trust me to help the players, Rinko. Am I really that untrustworthy?"

"You've fooled the entire world with your game." she spat out.

Kayaba raised his hands in surrender. "Ah... you've got me there. But truthfully, I really planned to help the players."

"No matter what you planned, to help or not, it will help clear the game. That's the goal I programmed for it; to clear the game. You can't help anymore."

"How so?"

"I've locked the system the addition of programs now, too. I've sealed the loophole, so no more active logins can be made. With your current avatar occupied by it, you no longer have any means to enter Aincrad."

"Ah, I thought this might happen." Kayaba waved a relaxed gesture. "So I wrote in a clause that allows me to take over the avatar as long as the NerveGear recognizes my brain signature. It works, I've tried. I'm not logging anything in, just rerouting the avatar's consciousness."

Koujiro's leaned against the doorway, hand on the side of her head. "But... its mental state?"

"It will continue to generate memories. They will be altered so it believes it made the decisions. Another ingenious piece of code, if I may say so myself."

Silence.

"Don't worry Rinko." Kayaba reassured her. "I'll let it play. I might interfere now and then... but I'll mostly leave it alone."

Koujiro Rinko turned and left the room.

Kayaba Akihiko smiled, then donned the NerveGear in his hands. What had just transpired between him and Rinko had already left his mind.

"Now... Players of Sword Art Online."

"Let me see how you all face reality. The reality of death."

"Let me see... the strength of your resolution. What paths shall you take?"

"Link Start."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**All legends have to start somewhere.  
**

**Hey, have you guys watched the anime? Episode 10? Remember that look Heathcliff gives Kirito after the duel? That's the look he gives Kirito here too.**

******I worked pretty fast on this chapter... actually surprised myself... I thought it would take more than 2 weeks to finish this. Determination Ftw.  
**

******I've learned how to place these «» brackets around game terms... **

******...after I wrote this chapter. I looked through it and tried to place it around every term, but I've probably missed some... please bear with me :P  
**

******************I probably won't be able to write next week, due to finals. I'll think take a break and resume writing after those ungodly tests... *shudder***

******Review Answers:  
**

******Sooo, maybe I'll have this section from now on to answer reviews... am I doing it right? I'm still quite green at this...  
**

******Thank you all for the reviews!  
**

**Don't worry, Historica won't make Mane a Mary sue. She has weaknesses... Thanatophobia, an extreme fear of death. She can hold it back, at the cost of extreme exhaustion. She is also a little naive.  
**

**Plus, wait until you see the later enhancement requirements (Ragout Rabbit Pelt :O) Maybe the enhancement gatherings could be a train of side stories... maybe.  
**

******There is no time travel... Mane's appearance is simply the same as Kirito's GGO avatar. **There's a reason for that though.  


**Frog-kun, you're very perceptive. That's all I'm going to say.  
**

******Asuna is an alright character, but I feel she fits the "Mary-sue" thing too well. Basically, after combing through all 11 Light Novels, the only setback I found about her was that she had her bout of depression at the beginning of the game. After that, perfect personality and looks, pinnacle swordsmanship, etc etc. Kirito himself narrates her as a perfect person. Fearless, top guild, blah blah blah... No, I don't hate her, but she's sort of a bland character.  
**

**I plan for Klein to return, though. Probably Kirito would warm up to him more, now that he is sort of a "duo" player. Solitude really hurts, you know.  
**

**********Please review some more! Constructive criticism really helps (though if you just want to praise my awesomeness, that's fine too :3).**

* * *

**********Why do I always remember to do the disclaimer AFTER I PUBLISH the chapter!? I do not own Sword Art Online or any of it's Characters... I only own the story itself and any original characters.  
**


	4. Chapter 3: Hope

**Chapter 3: Hope**

The sunlight streamed in through the window, casting the room in a dusky glow. Very faintly, one could hear the chirping of the virtual birds outside.

It was a pretty simple room really; a bedside table, a dresser-cabinet, and a single queen size bed - all made of a certain wood. (A few gamers suspected virtual pine wood.) The layout was almost identical to hotels in the real world.

That single bed contained two suspiciously human shaped lumps.

The one closer to the door was a bundle of blankets, wrapped around a slumbering figure. Completely cocooned in fabric, the only parts that could be seen were her relaxed, serene face and black, shoulder length hair, hanging outside her protective - cloth - barrier.

With a yawn like a cat, the girl curled up even further into a kind of fetal position, arms tucked and legs pulled in. Her hair gently shined as the movement reflected the light. Murmuring something in her dreams, her hand made a scratching motion.

Next to her, silently watching her, was a boy. His face was impassive, his black hair messy. He too had a blanket wrapped around him, to keep the chilly, crisp air away from his exposed skin.

After a while, his eye twitched.

Kirito had just woken up, alerted by the «Alarm Clock» function found under the time-options in the menu. Once a set time was inputted, the player could go to sleep peacefully, at least until a shrill blast of noise unmercifully wakes them up. Only the player could hear their own «Alarm Clock» tones, so Mane, in the adjacent bed, had not been roused from her sound slumber.

Heart still pounding from the sheer abruptness of the alarm, Kirito took several deep breaths to calm himself down. His mind still a jumble of disorganized thoughts and feelings, he stared dumbly at Mane's sleeping form for a long time.

By the time they had left the private house, it had already reached 11:00 Aincrad Standard Time, and both of them were completely exhausted. However, Kirito only knew the locations of rentable rooms with only one bed, as he had played solo during the Beta. Not wanting to waste time searching for a double-bed room, they agreed to sleep in one bed, albeit a pretty large one with both of them on opposite ends.

Though Mane had lost most of her memories, she still remembered gender differences and retained her sense of privacy.

In Aincrad, there were no germs or illnesses apart from status conditions, so one did not have to shower or wash their hands. They had quickly changed in the adjacent bathroom, one at a time, and went straight to sleep.

Now, just after 9:00 in the morning, Kirito finally somewhat regained control of his thoughts.

_You were sleeping with a girl in the same bed. _A voice echoed in his head.

His eye twitched again. _Opposite sides! As far apart as possible. It might as well have just been two beds. Besides, the system prohibits that kind of stuff!_

_Well, whatever you say. _The voice snickered, then faded.

Sighing, Kirito turned away to face the window. He pinched his thumb and index finger together and pulled downwards, drawing out the faintly glowing menu.

Scrolling down the list of options, he dragged his finger right across Friends/Guild, bringing out three sub-menus: Party, Friends, and Guild. With another tap, a list with three names on it appeared in an overlapping window. All three were glowing green, signaling they were online.

Basically, now that SAO was a death game, it meant that they were still alive.

Kirito selected the first name on the list. Several actions popped up: Private Chat, Private Messaging, Position Check, and Profile. He hesitated, and then tapped Private Chat.

The window minimized, leaving another screen in its place. The animated image of an letter flapping in the wind appeared, with the words, "Sending chat request" in old-style cursive.

Kirito had waited for less than five seconds before the animation vanished. The screen filled up with a live image coming from somewhere on the first floor. Most of the picture was taken up by a man with reddish, spiky hair held up by a bandanna. The stubble on his chin and raffish look of his eyes gave him the impression of a «Bandit».

In the background, all Kirito could see was a wall, consisting of wooden boards. That probably meant the guy was in one of Starting City's many Inns...

"-this how I do it? Hey! Kirito!" The man's face split into a wide smile.

"Klein. You all right? Did you find your friends?"

Klein waved his hands in front of him in a _HOLD IT_ gesture. "Hey, hey, hold up Kirito. You all right? You seem different."

"I... different? What?"

"You seem more... happy. Eh, never mind. Yeah, I found my friends." Klein turned around to face someone off-screen and called, "Hey, Kunimittz! Daichi! Riku! Where's Takumi!? Still asleep? Whatever, come over here! This is Kirito!"

Three heads poked into view, two over Klein's shoulders and one barely visible behind all of them.

"Yeah, Kirito, these are my friends! Say hello, guys!"

"Haiyas!"

"Hello."

"Hi!"

Klein indicated a cyan-haired man with a small goatee leaning on his shoulder. "This is Kunimittz, and this guy..." He pointed to the man on his other shoulder, with a thin face and spiky brown hair. "...is Riku. The guy behind me is Daichi. Takumi is still sleeping."

"Hey! Can you guys move over!?" Daichi tried to push his way into view.

"No!"

The four people on-screen started a friendly bout of bickering, vying for a clear position on the video chat. Kirito couldn't help but smile.

After a small scuffle, the black-haired man, Daichi, suddenly remembered that Klein still had his chat open with Kirito. "Hey, you're Kirito, right? This might be a little late, but thanks for helping Klein out!"

The fighting abruptly stopped, and the other two also turned to face Kirito. "Yeah! Thank you!"

Surprised, Kirito didn't react for a few moments, mouth slightly open. He blinked several times. "Uh... yeah... it was nothing. You're... welcome?"

The three men, probably around the same age as Klein and definitely at least 5 years older than Kirito, continued to bow and express their gratitude while Kirito sat in awkward silence.

After what seemed like ages to Kirito, Klein noticed his friend's discomfort and pushed all of them ruthlessly aside. "Oi, Oi! He gets it! Yeah, I'm thankful too, but he doesn't need you guys worshiping him!" He made a _Shoo, pest! _motion. "Go on, go wake up Takumi. I want to talk with young Kirito here for a while."

With several laughs, indicating they were just poking fun at the embarrassed swordsman on-screen, they ran out of the room, eagerly discussing ways they could unmercifully end Takumi's peaceful sleep.

Both Klein and Kirito heaved deep sighs as soon as the trio was out of earshot.

"We might be men but we'll always be children at heart." Klein said with a tired smile. "Not a lot of people here are as optimistic as we are though... or as crazy."

"...how's the situation at Starting City?"

"Not very good." Klein shook his head, his expression now becoming more serious. "Lots of players are wandering aimlessly in the streets. Some are crying... some just stare blankly. The inns are full with people saying that they'll wait there until they got logged out, no matter how long it took."

Kirito looked down at his knees. His brow furrowed.

"Yeah, I still can't really believe it either... how can Kayaba Akihiko just trap all of us like this? When I found my friends, they were just as shocked. Daichi was even crying, I feel like he almost went mad..." Shutting his eyes for a long moment, Klein continued, "There was a kid... he was about your age. He jumped off the side of Aincrad."

Kirito's head shot up and his eyes widened. "What!?"

"I was there, with the rest of my friends..." He paused, and took a deep breath. "He shouted something about how the NerveGear's programming would automatically wake you up if you got disconnected from the system, and he jumped off the north edge of the city, the viewing platform. He fell..."

The black-haired boy stared at Klein in stunned silence.

"...there was a player who had already put a skill point into «Searching», and he was one of the people at the edge watching. Nobody else could track the boy to the end, but he said the boy's avatar had shattered into polygons as soon as he reached the cloud cover below... that was when he died, right?"

Kirito regained limited control of his speech. "That... that's..."

"Not only him, but about a hundred others followed his example... they all jumped off. They all died... in-game, at least. We don't know if they really died in the real world... I guess we'll never know."

Kirito finally spluttered out, "That's... horrible. Why... they could have at least tried! Why...?"

"...they wanted to go home... they didn't have any hope or faith that the 100th floor could be cleared, I think. They've done what they've done. We can't change their actions..."

Kirito was still unable to completely grasp the meaning of the situation. He looked down at his open palm. "I...but..."

The news of over a hundred people committing suicide was too much for him.

_All those people... Gone?_

"But!" Klein thrust his finger at the screen, causing Kirito to flinch and look back up. "My friends and I aren't like that! We believe we can clear the game! We won't give up or lose hope"

Blinking rapidly, Kirito hung open slightly. "Klein..." Some indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

"We've all agreed we'll be part of those clearing the 100th floor! I'm not going to kick the bucket until I get back home and eat that pizza!"

Kirito instinctively slammed his fist into the screen. Klein jerked back, though it seemed like he had expected it.

"Hey, hey, watch it man. So... Kirito, can you help us? We can't do it without you."

"...eh?" Kirito lowered his arm.

"Out of all of us, only I know a little about swords skills, which I learned from you. The rest of us are still pretty much newbies... we still need info and teaching. Even I still don't know everything, I only learned a little. You're a beta tester, you can help us a lot..." Klein nodded. "So... please, can you teach us?"

Kirito opened his mouth to answer, then paused. "I...uh..."

Indecision wracked him. He wanted to help, yet at the same time, he wanted to just go off and train by himself. His old solo tendencies, his selfishness, were fighting with his desire to help Klein.

And it looked like selfishness was winning.

"Eh... I..."

"...Kirito-kun?"

Startled, Kirito jerked his head around and saw Mane sitting behind him, still wrapped in blankets. Her hair was slightly messy, her eyes still half closed from sleep.

She yawned, then perched her head on his shoulder. "Kirito-kun... who is this?"

_She must have gotten up while I was still talking with Klein..._

"Uh, Mane, do you feel better now?"

She stretched an arm, shivering as her virtual blood flow started up again. "Yes... I feel a lot better... who is this?"

Kirito indicated Klein, on-screen. "This is my friend... I met him yesterday in Starting City... his name is Klein. Klein...?"

He turned back to the video chat and blinked. Klein was staring at him with a huge frown on his face.

"Uh... Klein?"

No response.

"Klein? Kleeiiiiinnn? You lagging or something?"

Klein finally spoke, his voice coming out dangerously menacing.

"Kirito... you said your sister didn't play this game."

"Huh?"

"You said your sister didn't play this game! Yet there she is!" Klein pointed an accusing finger. "She's so cute! You lieeeeed to me!"

If this were a manga, Kirito would have a large sweatdrop on the back of his head. "Uh... Klein... I, uh... She's not..."

"YOU LIEEEEEEEEEE-URK!"

A four-man dog-pile fell on top of Klein, crushing him into the floor with a resounding crash.

An eerie silence descended. Kirito could just _feel_ the rage and tension emanating from the man at the bottom.

"DARN YOU ALL!" Klein roared.

"Haha, gotcha chief."

"We sure got you good this time!"

"This is payback for that door-water bucket trap a few days ago."

"Sorry Klein... they talked me into it. I couldn't resist."

Both Mane and Kirito watched with incredulous looks on their faces as Klein jumped up and started bashing the brains out of his friends. Yelled profanities and general screams of pain wafted up from the screen.

It looked like the group had completely forgotten about the pair watching them.

Mane giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. "Eh... they're funny."

Suddenly, the fighting froze. As one, Klein and all four of his friends turned to face Mane and Kirito, faces deadpan.

Kirito became nervous. He fidgeted. "Uh... I, er, I mean... Klein, she's... not my sister."

The mood in the room did a complete one-eighty, from rage to questioning. Klein jumped back to the screen, and the rest of the guys crowded around him. "What do you mean not your sister? You two are obviously siblings. Look at the resemblance!"

His friends studied Mane and Kirito's faces, then chimed in with "Yup"s and "That's right"s.

Kirito looked at Mane, seeing some of his features reflected in her. He sighed, then turned back to the chat. "While, yes, we do look alike... she's not my sister. We only met yesterday..."

Mane nodded in confirmation. Klein made a noise of disbelief, something akin to a fart.

"Well," Klein screwed up his face. "if you say so..."

An awkward silence filled the air as neither party knew what to talk about next.

The blue-haired one, Kunimittz, abruptly leaned in. "Your name is Mane, right? Can you be my girlfriend?"

Mane flinched, then blinked. "I... er... what?"

Kunimittz clasped his hands together in an _I beg you_ way. "Pretty please?"

The other three, Daichi, Riku, and Takumi, instantly pushed Kunimittz aside and all began shouting variations of "Will you go out with me?" and "Please!".

Mane just sat there in amazement, completely confused.

Kirito turned his head to look at her. She wasn't blushing at all...

_I guess she forgot what a girlfriend is..._Kirito thought.

Klein suddenly stood up. With an annoyed tone, "Oi! Guys, I'm not done talking with Kirito here yet! Go mess around somewhere else! Sheesh..."

And he booted all of them out of the door, slammed it shut, and latched it. With the deepest sigh Kirito ever heard, Klein turned back to the chat screen and half-smiled.

"Such a rowdy bunch... at least they're in a better condition than most players. We have more of a hope... so, Kirito, can you help us train?"

Kirito hesitated. "Ah... I..."

"Can we?"

"Huh?"

Mane leaned forward, still over his shoulder. There was a smile on her face. "Uh, Can we help them?"

"You want to?"

"Yes... I... just want to help... help them. They... eh, are..." Mane giggled again. "very... funny. And… they're your friends, right, Kirito-kun?"

"Uh…"

Mane then continued with innocent logic, "They also want to help get everyone back to the real world, right? We should help them… like… you helped me."

She started stuttering near to end, for some reason. Kirito watched her for a moment.

If he were to go help Klein and his friends, he would lose valuable training time, time that could be used to get himself stronger. He would fall behind the other beta testers.

But... if he did so… he would be abandoning his friend… and the friends of his friend. A cold, heartless élite player not caring about anyone but himself…

Kirito remembered the events from the day before, his meeting with Mane and his farewell to Klein. He remembered the strange pain and sadness… the feeling of loneliness, solitude.

_What am I fighting for?_ The question suddenly presented itself to him.

_I am… fighting for…_

For everyone, for his friends, for his family. To break open the cage of Sword Art Online, to safely bring home everyone…

"Eh, alright, if you say so…"

"Yay!" Mane happily squeezed his shoulders, causing Kirito to flush slightly. She got up. "I'll get ready!"

And she crawled back to the other side of the bed, brought out the menu, and began putting on her armor/clothes. Kirito remembered to look away.

He turned his attention back to Klein, who was studying them intently. Suddenly, Kirito was reminded of how Heathcliff had watched him yesterday when he first met. The two stares were uncannily identical.

"Uh, Klein? Klein, we'll help you…"

Klein watched them for a few more seconds, mouth open, then snapped it shut and clapped his hands together. "Alright! Where do you want to meet? By the way, where are you right now?"

"You can use the «Find Location» function on your friend's list, you know… I'm at Horunka Village. It's too dangerous here for people who don't know the monster attack patterns, especially in larger groups. I'll go back to Starting City to meet you. Which inn are you in?"

Klein exited the room, video chat following him around. He looked up, reading the room plaque. "Eh… the Sleepy Wolf Inn."

"I'll meet you there."

"Okay…" Klein looked back down and smiled.

"Klein..."

"Yeah?"

"How... how are you guys so calm? We're trapped here... People are committing suicide... Mane cried... people are crying... I... even... even I cried yesterday..."

It bugged Kirito. "How are you guys so happy? You and Kunimittz... Daichi, Takumi, Riku. How are you all so carefree?"

Klein was silent for a long moment.

"I guess... it's because we have each other. We've overcome many things together, before. We... believe in each other, all of us together. We know we'll overcome this too... we trust each other."

Kirito stared. _Trust...? Friends...?_

"Either that, or we're pretty much totally insane nutcases... Eh, Kirito?"

"Yes… Klein?"

"Thank you. Thanks for helping us. I always… knew you were a good guy."

Kirito blinked several times as a foreign feeling welled up in his heart. "I… Thank you, Klein."

"No problem. We're friends, aren't we?" Klein waved. "See ya in a bit."

The screen blinked black, and the window vanished from existence. Kirito suddenly felt exhausted.

He finally recognized the feeling in his chest as gratitude. Happiness.

The left corner of his mouth tipped upwards.

_Friends… eh…_

"Kirito-kun!"

Kirito looked up. Mane walked out of the bathroom. She had shed the blankets and was now clothed in her basic armor. Historica hung on her back, hilt glittering in the dusky morning sun.

"Come on, Kirito-kun! Hurry up!"

Suddenly conscious of still being in his default sleepwear and having a blanket wrapped around him, he quickly moved to towards the bathroom, shooing Mane away.

The thoughts of friends were pushed aside for the moment.

* * *

The road back to the city was deserted. Neither players nor monsters were encountered, which made Kirito wary.

With soft footsteps, Kirito silently glanced both ways, then behind him. His enhanced vision from his «Searching» revealed only Mane, who was stretching behind him, yawning.

"There should be at least some enemies around..." he muttered. Mane looked at him quizzically, and he waved his hand in dismissal.

The absence of any monster mobs meant that there was someone, or a party, hunting them, and that they had only recently moved on, since the mobs haven't respawned yet.

Strangely, he felt... relieved some people were hunting the mobs. As if a great weight had been lifted from him, to see that not all the players had given up hope like Klein had said.

The morning sun shone brightly from the side, illuminating the plains area. Once the time reached somewhere around noon, the sun would disappear behind the ceiling of the first floor, and the bottom of the second floor would shine a bright blue, imitating a clear azure sky.

Kirito looked in the direction of the sunrise, a picturesque scene of trees, grass, and light. The sight calmed him, warmed his heart. His movement paused as he contemplated the scene.

Next to him, Mane followed his eyes and beheld the landscape.

"It's... pretty." She said quietly.

"...yeah." Kirito softly replied.

Back in real life, Kirito liked to watch scenes such as this. In anime, or perhaps the rare beautiful sunrise in the Tokyo skyline. It was one of the few things Kirito had appreciated in the real world...

"I... like this. It's so... peaceful." Mane's voice was barely a whisper.

Kirito simply nodded in response. After watching the plains for a while longer, he turned to continue.

His boot clanked on something hard. Flinching at the sudden contact, Kirito looked down.

A long, steel object. A sword. A Basic Sword, to be exact.

A basic sword, lying down here with no owner in sight.

_...!_

Kirito's throat went dry. Kneeling over, he tapped on the blade and examined the stats.

The durability was almost completely full, which meant the sword had only just dropped to the ground, without an owner. Possibly less than 10 minutes ago.

_...that means..._

Something prickled at the back of his neck. His «Searching» alerted him to another dropped item on the ground with a bleep.

Slowly looking up, he eyes focused upon another Basic Sword, lying on the ground a few meters away. The steel glinted at him knowingly.

And another, slightly to the left.

And another. And another.

And another.

Six Basic Swords lying on the ground with their owners nowhere in sight. Kirito's hand trembled.

_What... how did...?_

Mane looked away from the sunrise and ran over to him. "Kirito-kun? What...?"

A sound rung softly in Kirito's ears, «Searching» alerting him to another player. Kirito's head snapped up.

A cursor, green in color, due North. Obscured by a clump of trees, it moved erratically, back and forth.

Rising to a crouch, Kirito quickly rushed forward. Confused, Mane followed.

The cursor abruptly changed course, settling on a path straight towards the two. Unlike before, it approached linearly, without any bends.

Suddenly, the undergrowth rustled, and a figure leaped through the bushes. Kirito quickly identified it as a player. Panting, the man rolled head over heels, clumsily stumbled to his feet, and continued running towards them.

The HP bar curved around his body around shoulder height was in the red zone, denoting serious damage.

Almost immediately after him, a large "SQUEEEE" was heard, and a «Blue Boar» came hurtling out. It's HP was still just barely in the green, hovering at around 51%.

It's little red eyes squinted with anger. Squealing again, it charged straight towards the retreating player, closing the distance at an astonishing rate.

But before it could close half the distance, a sharp blade swung in and cut open its side. Rearing, the «Blue Boar» screamed in pain, halting its charge.

Kirito, having unleashed a charging «Horizontal» attack, stepped past the boar a few paces due to momentum, then turned to deal the killing blow.

Mane had already launched herself at the boar, Historica in hand. The sword, with a thin streak of silver light trailing behind it, flew perfectly straight and pierced the boar through its snout, mounting it like a shish-kebab.

It's HP dropped to zero. With no further sounds, the boar glowed and shattered.

In the aftermath of the quick execution, the silence felt heavy as a blanket, broken only by the panting of the player as he rested, hands on his knees.

Kirito sheathed the «Anneal Blade» he had recently acquired, and Mane did likewise with Historica. Kirito turned towards the player, digging in the pouch on his belt. He withdrew two bottles of red liquid.

"Hey, you alright? Here, take this. It'll heal you..."

Without looking up, the player extended his hand for the potions. His breathing was ragged, and had this occurred in the real world, Kirito guessed he would be covered in sweat. He handed over the healing items, and the guy popped the cork from one and started inhaling it.

The player had silver hair, which was most likely the color in real life, since it was highly improbably one would have had the time, Col, and heart to change their appearance so early in the game. His features showed he was in his teenage years, perhaps the same age as Kirito, so it wasn't likely it was his natural hair color. Perhaps he had dyed it... it was mostly short, with the exception of a small manly ponytail hanging down his back.

His face was tense, due to the close brush with death he had earlier. His grey eyes looked clouded over, and his mouth hung slightly open due to exhaustion and fear. A few droplets of potion dribbled onto the grass below.

Both potions disappeared in a matter of seconds. Sighing as some of his tension abated, he looked at Kirito with gratitude.

That expression also contained a bit of sorrow.

"Thanks, guys. You saved my life."

"...what happened here? I can tell... six people have died here. What's your name?"

"..." The player looked down at his lap. Mane stepped closer to Kirito, listening. She clutched his arm.

The silver-haired guy, taking a few moments to gather his thoughts and ready himself, began talking.

"My name... my name is Sirius." He swallowed, and continued.

"...My friends and I, we... we wanted to clear the game. We thought... we thought we would be able to actually do something. Something to help us get back to reality..."

Kirito and Mane listened in silence.

"We got together this morning, and decided to start by hunting these small mobs, the «Blue Boars». They were just milling around here... we attacked one with our weapons, but it seemed like we couldn't do much damage..."

_They didn't use sword skills!?_ Kirito's eyes narrowed.

If one didn't allocate their skill points into some sort of combat skill tree before battle, they wouldn't be able to use sword skills... likewise, if they just swung their swords wildly, without assuming the starting position of the skill in some way, the skills would not activate. Without the power of the «System Assist», attacks made by any weapons dealt minimal to zero damage. In addition, the movements were slow and could easily be dodged even by the simple AI of the «Blue Boars».

"Then it got mad... it charged into one of my friends, and he started to scream and run away... he was trampled... he died."

Sirius gulped, the memory momentarily overwhelming him. "A bunch of them showed up. I tried to fight back... but I... those boars were screaming, my friends were screaming, and their eyes... those boars, they were... horrifying." He shivered. "It was... just pure chaos. We were all screaming. Everyone... they all died, one by one..."

His eyes looked haunted, hollow, as if all he could see were the boars slaughtering his friends instead of Mane and Kirito.

As opposed to those on a flat, screen-based game on a computer monitor, the monsters in Sword Art Online looked and felt real, their glowing eyes, the knock back of the attacks. The bare, primal _killing intent_ that could be felt from the enemies. To those gamers used to safety behind a screen, the stark reality of the game had caused much panic among players during the beta testing. The sheer fear, the feeling of danger from a living, breathing opponent ready to actually kill _you_, not your avatar on-screen, caused players to break down and flee out of pure terror, presenting themselves as easy targets for the hostile monsters.

Kirito himself had run around screaming during his first encounter with a «Blue Boar». He had been trampled from behind and had respawned in the «Room of the Resurrected» with his heart pounding and eyes wide, breathing hard.

But now, there was no more «Room of the Resurrected». Death meant death. No second chances. Sirius' friends would not have the opportunity to learn, to try to cope with the fear. They were gone, an unnoticed part of history now.

Kirito's imagination showed him a cinematic of a group of anonymous players, screaming as they were chased around by hordes of red-eyed «Blue Boars». One by one, their HP was reduced to zero and they shattered mid-cry. Blue particles filled the air as the screams intensified.

It was very likely what Sirius had experienced was exactly the same as what Kirito had imagined.

It seemed a similar image was going through Sirius' mind. His shoulders were shaking.

"I... I was too scared." He gritted his teeth, his hands spasming. "I never stopped to think... I just ran... I didn't think about my friends... I..." His voice broke. "I'm just... despicable."

He looked up. His eyes were hollow and full of... self loathing. His tone rising with anger, he clutched the side of his head. Kirito's eyes narrowed.

"I'm just a failure... I can't even kill the weakest monster in the game!" Sirius gestured violently towards the wilds, where, presumably, more «Blue Boars» were respawning. "I... I... I'm just dead weight... all I did was run!"

Kirito felt Mane's grip on his arm tighten.

Sirius seemed to expend his energy, his rage dissipating and leaving behind an empty husk. His silver hair swung as his head dropped down.

"I'm nothing... I'm just useless. I'll never be able to help, failure as I am..."

Kirito opened his mouth-

_"No. Nobody is useless."_

-and closed it as he heard the words he had just been about to say come from Mane instead. Surprised, he blinked several times before he looked at her.

Mane was glaring at Sirius, mouth set in a hard line. Her hand shook as she continued to grip Kirito's arm, but her face showed no sign of it.

Yet, Sirius had not reacted at all, as if he hadn't heard. Frowning, Kirito opened-

"No. Nobody is useless."

This time, Sirius reacted. He looked up. "What?"

Mane hesitated, and then Kirito heard, _"Life is precious... nobody should just give up! We can all get back to reality, if we have_ hope!"

Yet, Mane's mouth wasn't moving.

_...huh? _Kirito thought.

_"..eh? Kirito-kun...?"_

Kirito was sure heard her, but her voice was rapidly growing fainter. _"Mane..?"_

_"..you...me...?"_

Silence. Kirito couldn't hear Mane anymore.

Both of them blinked and looked at each other, bewildered at what had just occurred. Sirius stared blankly at them.

Kirito recovered first and turned back to Sirius.

"...Life is precious. Never, ever give up on life. As long as you have hope, the drive... we can all get back. But we need strategy, too. We can't just rush into things blindly..."

Sirius didn't respond, his eyes showing, wordlessly, just how much he cared.

"...I'm going to Starting City to meet a friend of mine. I... I'm going to teach him and his friends how to survive in this world. I was a beta tester... so I know how. Sirius... would you like to come along?"

The silver-haired boy's eyes slowly lit up, showing interest. He straightened.

"...Sirius. You... should never give up on life."

"I...?"

"Here."

Mane cut in, pulling out her menu and opening her inventory. After a few deft pokes, a longsword materialized in her hands. Kirito recognized it as the «Anneal Blade» she had received from the quest they had completed yesterday. She pushed it into Sirius' hands.

"Take it. Use it. Just help everyone get back to reality... please?"

Stunned, Sirius simply looked at the regal blade in his hands. There was a small ding as ownership was transferred from Mane to Sirius.

"I..." He looked up into their faces, expression incredulous. "Why are you helping me? I... I'm just a worthless person! I... I don't even know your names! Why?"

"...We don't know." Mane and Kirito said in unison.

_"Hmm?" _Kirito thought.

_"Huh?" _He heard.

_"What... Mane?"_

_"Eeeh?... Kirito...un..?"_

A brief moment of confusion followed as Mane's voice faded again. Sirius gave no sign of him hearing the latter conversation, though, as he looked curious in response to their answer.

Again, Kirito was the one to turn back to Sirius. "Never... ever abandon hope. Your friends... they didn't give up, even until the very end."

Sirius gritted his teeth, then straightened up. With a tired expression, he murmured, "Well... They all died for it, didn't they? Murdered by this thrice blasted game of Kayaba's..."

Kirito felt some kind of emotion, something in his heart. Something directed at the player in front of him, someone who had survived while all his friends had died. He was still alive.

He could fight. He could still clear the game, for the crushed dreams of his friends.

Yet he acted and moved as if most of him had died with his friends.

"It's no use, there's no point anymore. I give up..."

Kirito suddenly snapped. His mouth opened and out spilled out the words he hadn't even realized he was thinking.

"Don't you have any hope?"

"Huh?"

Kirito marched straight up to him. "Don't you have any faith? DON'T YOU THINK THERE'S A CHANCE WE CAN GO HOME!?"

He couldn't explain why he felt so enraged. His hand shot out and hooked onto Sirius' armor, dragging him closer. Mane froze, surprised.

"Listen. The fact, that you, and your friends," Kirito's statements were punctuated with gasps, emphasizing every word as well as making clear his thoughts. "went out, to try and kill these boars, it shows, that you GUYS BELIEVED YOU COULD RETURN TO REALITY!"

Sirius' mouth was half open. Not a sound came from him.

"Your friends, they died, they died trying to help. I'm sure, each and every one them, they had hope! They believed the game could be cleared! That's why you all tried! And you... only you survived... and you... you!... you just don't... you're just..."

Kirito's fingers abruptly opened, releasing Sirius, who stumbled back. He fell silent, hand outstretched in the same position.

His head felt fuzzy, cloudy. Conflicting emotions twisted and clashed.

Kirito's rage, directed at Sirius' lack of faith, was suddenly replaced by sorrow. Sorrow, at the state of, he assumed, most of the people in Aincrad.

And at himself. His violent reaction. Kirito felt ashamed.

There was a tense silence as Kirito stared into space, wrestling with his thoughts, arm still outstretched. Mane was still frozen on her spot, and Sirius was in shock.

Finally, Kirito took a deep breath, and lowered his arm. Feeling weary, he murmured, "Do you... have anything in real life you care about... Anyone you care for?"

Sirius stayed silent. He seemed deep in thought.

"Never, ever give up hope... it is one of the only things we have. Here, in Sword Art Online."

Kirito turned and slowly walked back to where Mane was standing. She was looking at him silently, slightly afraid.

Understandably afraid. He had never acted like this before... Kirito himself was mildly scared of what he had just done.

"Kirito-kun..." Mane began.

He slowly waved his hand in a small, _no._ motion. "Mane..." He paused, then sighed.

Eyes downcast, Kirito continued to walk away. After some hesitation, Mane followed him.

Sirius remained where he knelt, looking at the ground. The «Anneal Blade» Mane had given him was still grasped in his right hand.

They traveled in silence for a few minutes. The beautiful scenery passing by didn't seem as alluring as it had before.

Even though it was still the morning, Kirito felt incredibly weary as he trudged along the path. He hadn't completely understood what Klein had said until he saw an example of it in Sirius.

_"...they wanted to go home... they didn't have any hope or faith that the 100th floor could be cleared, I think. They've done what they've done. We can't change their actions..."_

_No hope..._

If nobody had any hope Sword Art Online could be cleared, how would anybody return to reality?

Mane tugged at his sleeve worriedly. "Um, Kirito..."

He turned his head. "...yes..?"

Mane hesitated, then asked, "Are... are you okay?"

_Am I okay?_

"I... I just need to think for a while." He turned his focus back to the path.

_No faith..._

_..._

A bleep sounded in his ears, alerting him to a nearby player. Kirito didn't turn around, though Mane did. He already knew who it was.

He stopped walking and just stood there, still facing starting city. Mane bumped into him and almost pushed them both over, but they caught themselves just in time.

No longer masked by the sound of their footsteps, the sound of the player approaching was clear to both Kirito and Mane, echoing over the plains.

The sound grew louder until Kirito could tell the maker was right behind him. Then it stopped, and was replaced with the sound of hard breathing. Mane leaned on Kirito's shoulder, but didn't speak.

Kirito waited until the man's breathing had returned to normal, then turned his head around to look at Sirius, who was looking at him with a slightly more determined look than before.

Both wordlessly stared at each other, silently willing the other to start, but each refusing to give in.

Sirius finally said quietly, "I... have a brother. A younger brother. Our parents died in a car crash a few years ago... I've been taking care of him. I... I can't just leave him alone... I need to go home."

Kirito stayed silent.

"I... I need to clear the game... for him. So... I can take care of him. That... is my hope." He hesitated. "So... please... can I come along with you?"

For a few seconds, Kirito didn't respond. Then, almost imperceptibly, he nodded his head.

Then Mane broke the silence. "What's a car?"

…_She forgot what a car was? Well, she didn't remember the real world… should make sense._

"Eh, a car is a thing we use to transport people..." Mane appeared to not completely understand, but made no further comment.

Sirius stared at Mane with an incredulous expression on his face. He turned to Kirito for an answer.

_Later_, Kirito mouthed. Sirius nodded back.

The black-haired swordsman started to walk back towards Starting City. This time, both Mane and Sirius followed, both of them keeping pace with Kirito.

In his rage against Sirius, he had forgotten all about the few moments where he could hear Mane, but Sirius couldn't.

_...hope, eh..._

* * *

Starting City was eerily silent. Normally, at a time such as this, one could hear the sounds of voices, boots on cobblestones, agents hawking their wares.

As the trio approached, not a sound rose from the City, as if the place were deserted.

Mane shivered. "This is scarier than the forest yesterday..."

Kirito felt unnaturally tense, the atmosphere of the city getting to him. The air held a menacing feeling, and Kirito half expected zombies to jump out at them at any moment. The breeze felt dead, with no cool or refreshing feel to it.

The entire city felt like a city of the dead.

The sound of their boots echoed on the stone floor underfoot, ringing desolately as they walked under the giant archway of the Northwest gate. A small notice popped up, signaling they were entering Starting City, and an icon underneath denoted the presence of the «Area Protection Code».

The city streets were mostly deserted at first. However, as they neared the center of the city, the paths began to fill up with players. Most of them were silent, some were crying, some were moping around, staring straight ahead with dead eyes. They usually ignored the three of them, though some bolted their eyes on them with pleading expressions.

Kirito looked around with a heavy feeling on his heart. The bare hopelessness that the denizens of the city gave off caused Kirito to despair. It was as if everyone in the city had already given up.

_This… I thought…_

Sirius, on the other hand, seemed mostly unaffected by the despairing air that hung over the city. Probably because, he had already spent the night through it, and just before, he had been a part of it.

Mane, however, was ever the frightened girl. She clung to Kirito's arm like a lifeline, casting quick glances with wide eyes at the other players. Kirito could feel her hand shaking as her breathing became louder.

"Kirito-kun…" She whispered eventually after passing a group of dead-eyed girls, huddled together. "I…this is…scary…"

"…I know…" Kirito murmured back. His mouth tightened as he saw one of the girls suddenly break into tears, sobbing. The other girls didn't respond at all.

"It's been like this since the tutorial yesterday…" Sirius grimaced. "People are in shock… my friends and I were in shock, too… then we decided to try to clear the game, like Kayaba told us too… We thought…"

His voice trailed off, and Sirius fell silent. They passed another group of teenagers, who were agitatedly discussing something in hushed whispers. The group gave the trio a look, then went back to their discussion.

Kirito took one last look at the scene around him, then wrenched his mind free of any lingering thoughts and pulled out his menu, bringing out the map of Starting City. Locating the Sleepy Wolf Inn on the eastern quarter of the city, he motioned Mane and Sirius to follow.

From time to time, they witnessed groups of players who had barricaded themselves into inns, claiming that help would come soon. Their plan of action was to wait it out, until, they claimed, Argus would find a loophole in the system Kayaba Akihiko had set in place and free them all. To every player they saw, they warned, don't risk death. You'll be freed soon, don't try going out of the city.

The «Area Protection Code» was set inside almost every city or town in Aincrad, protecting its inhabitants. Should an attempt to harm a player be made, the damage would be negated and in its place, there would be a bright system effect and perhaps a small knockback, depending on the magnitude of the blow. In addition, monsters roaming around could not enter a «Protected Area», therefore creating a safe haven for players.

As it was a large city, Starting City was under the influence of the «Area Protection Code», therefore a completely safe place. These players counted on that fact and decided to wait out freedom in the relative safety of the «Code».

What they didn't know, however, was that once during the beta testing, the «Code» had been disabled in Starting City as a test. While this event had been announced and prepared for in advance, the event still caused many casualties. Hordes of monsters had invaded the streets, and the players had barely managed to fight them off. Respawning had been disabled for both players and monsters, and by the time the last enemy had been slain, more than 75% of the players had been slain, Kirito among them.

Thus, many beta testers, including Kirito, mostly lost their faith in the power of the «Code». If it had happened before, it could happen again.

After passing by several inns full of these kinds of people, the three of them stepped onto the street housing the Sleepy Wolf Inn. It was a commercial kind of street, lined with NPC stalls and shops selling various types of battle equipment, of which included armor, swords, knives, lances, axes, wrist-blades, helms, and even sheaths. Other shops sold miscellaneous items, such as potions, food and drink, and perhaps the rare crystal with only one in stock priced at over five thousand col.

It was a far cry from other areas in Starting City, which were full of unused buildings reserved for player-made item stores and markets. As it was only the second day of Sword Art Online, most of those were empty.

However, the street was deserted. Only a few players buying a late-morning meal or snack could be seen going about. The equipment shops had no customers.

That was why it was easy to spot the group of players standing outside the Sleepy Wolf Inn, talking in hushed voices. As Kirito got closer, he could easily make out the distinctive red spiky hair and bandana that Klein wore.

"Klein!"

Klein looked up from his discussion and waved.

Breaking into a jog, he grabbed Mane's arm and quickly ran over to them. Sirius was left behind for a moment, then he caught up.

"Kirito! You got here alright?" Klein greeted them.

"…sort of." Kirito looked over Klein's friends before continuing, "…we found…"

"Hey, who's this guy?" Klein cut in. He pointed at Sirius, who was lingering uncomfortably near them.

"…eh… Sirius, come over here."

Sirius slowly walked over, then looked over Klein. He carefully stuck out his hand. "Um… I'm Sirius…"

"Nice to meetcha. I'm Klein." Klein took the hand and shook it warmly. Sirius seemed taken aback.

Suddenly, all of Klein's friends showed up out of nowhere, surrounding Sirius. The brown-haired one, Riku, reached out and grabbed his arm. Sirius tried to back off, suddenly sensing danger, but to no avail.

"Hey, you're name's Sirius, right? Hai! My name's…"

And the silver-haired boy was deluged with introductions and carried away. Mane looked incredulously at the scene while Klein snickered.

"Um… Klein. Mane. Can you come over here?" Kirito motioned them closer to the Sleepy Wolf Inn.

When they were clearly out of earshot of Klein's friends, Kirito began explaining what they had encountered on the way to Starting City.

"-six basic swords lying abandoned on the ground. I checked their durability and they had only been dropped seconds ago… Those belonged to Sirius' friends. They tried to go train against the boars, but they didn't know about sword skills… they all died."

Klein's brow furrowed, and he waved Kirito to continue.

"Sirius was the only survivor. I think most of the blue boars went somewhere else after their HP had been lowered slightly… that's part of their AI, if they have any amount of damage and there aren't any enemies in sight, they go to this thicket area and sleep to regenerate. Only one more noticed Sirius and chased him… we managed to kill it and save him."

Kirito suddenly remembered the strange moments where only he had been able to hear Mane, but didn't mention it.

"…so… that's how we found him. I… I think I can teach him as well as you guys…"

Klein still stayed silent.

"Um, Klein?"

Klein finally nodded. "Alright… but later. Kirito, there's something I need to visit with you first."

"Huh? Where?" Kirito tilted his head. Mane, who had been listening, leaned in.

"…It was just discovered this morning, I only heard about it after you called me. Apparently, the «Room of the Resurrected» in the Black Iron Castle? There's a big fat stone tablet in there."

"Stone tablet?"

"Yeah. It has all the names of all the players on it."

Kirito blinked, stunned. "All of them?"

"Yes… all ten thousand. In alphabetical order… Also, those who have died have their name crossed out, with the reason of death written next to it. Remember the kid I told you about who committed suicide yesterday? All those people who followed him?"

"…yes…?" Kirito didn't want to remember.

"Apparently all their names are there, crossed out. It says, 'Suicide: Falling' next to all of them. Also, the 213 who… died… because their NerveGear had been removed, their name are there too, with 'NerveGear Removed' next to them."

Kirito leaned against the side of the building, head spinning. "So… it's a record. A record of all the players."

Mane abruptly latched herself onto Kirito's arm again, laying her head on his shoulder. She was trembling slightly, and Kirito gently laid an arm around her shoulder.

Klein frowned. "Yes… apparently. I want to go check it out before we start… see if we can find our names."

Kirito stared ahead. "…alright."

It was a small chance, but maybe, maybe Kirito could find his name…

"…oh, and Kirito." Some of the good humor returned to Klein's voice.

"Eh..?"

"What's the deal with Mane?" Mane looked up at this. "I'll take your word for it that you're not siblings, but who is she? A relative? Close IRL person?" Klein smiled wryly. "Your girlfriend?"

"…"

He looked to Mane, who was still leaning on his shoulder. She, by the same impulse, looked back at him.

"Umm… is it okay? To tell him you…?" Kirito asked quietly.

Mane tilted her head. "I… I think it's okay. He's your friend, right? You trust him?"

"..yes, he's my friend… I trust him."

"…then it's okay."

Kirito swallowed, wetting his throat, then addressed Klein. "…Mane lost her memories. I found her in Starting City yesterday…" He suddenly remembered how Mane had strangely appeared in front of him, then pushed the memory aside.

"No memories!?" Klein nearly shouted in surprise, then he lowered his voice again as several NPCs looked at him irritably. "No memories? She doesn't remember anything?"

"No… nothing except her name and some random scattered memories. She has some knowledge of the game… but she doesn't remember other things. She… she can't remember anything from reality."

Klein stared in apparent horror at Mane, who shrunk slightly under his gaze. "That… that's…"

Kirito made a gesture with his free hand. "I think… I think she may have been a player… and died, but somehow survived having her brain burnt out… but that doesn't answer many questions. I mean, Kayaba said…"

"…all forms of revival had been disabled, right?" Klein scratched his chin. "Yeah, that doesn't make much sense… but why do you two look so similar?"

"…we don't know." Kirito grimaced. "We don't know…"

Klein gazed at the two of them, deep in thought.

"Well, she's a human being, that's all we know for sure… let's go see that big tablet monument thing. See if there's anything wrong with her name…"

Klein turned and called to his friends. "Oi! Guys, we're going to the Black Iron Castle right now to see that tablet thingy!"

They quickly jogged over, and Kirito was mildly amused to see Sirius's uncomfortable face. While Klein told off his friends for scaring Sirius, the boy in question sidled over closer to Kirito and Mane.

"…they're horrifying." Sirius muttered to Kirito. "I thought the torture would never end… Never, ever again..."

"That sounds... bad." Mane murmured simply.

Kirito gave him a deadpan stare. "…I'll take your word for it."

Sirius abruptly smiled, and gave a small chuckle, before sinking back into his usual gloomy state.

* * *

The Black Iron Castle, as the name implied, was an imposing structure constructed completely out of black iron. Over fifty meters high, the castle cast a long shadow in the late morning sun. The dark material seemed to absorb light, giving a commanding and dignified aura. Two towers, twice as high as the surrounding buildings, flanked the front of the building.

During the beta test, it had been a center of activity as game moderators swarmed around trying to file and fix any bugs in the game. Now, the castle was unoccupied, as no Game Moderators were logged on. There were several groups of player talking in hushed tones outside, though.

The inside of the castle was just as regal as the outside. Tall columns lined the walls to support the arched ceiling, which housed a large skylight. Tinted windows were located high on the walls, allowing a small amount of light to gently permeate the room.

The entire construct felt as serene as a library. The air brushed coolly against Kirito's cheek.

As Kirito entered the castle, he immediately noticed a key difference from the beta. Where the entrance to the «Room of the Resurrected» had been during the beta, a tall, black stone monolith stood in its place.

Suddenly walking faster, he noticed the smooth inscriptions upon the tablet's surface. The names of all the players in Aincrad. At the top, the words «Monument of Life» were embossed. Which, he presumed, was the name of the monolith.

He approached the left hand side, leaving behind the rest of the group, and tilted his head to look at the names.

**|Aaron**

**|Aba**

**|Aberant**

**|Accelera**

The list continued. The names were both a mixture of real names, pseudonyms, or old usernames. Kirito noted a large quantity of (x.X.X) (X.X.x) brackets near the bottom right side of the tablet.

**|Audrey**

**|Aureola**

**|Auvan**** : Suicide: Falling**

**|Avary:**** Monster: Blue Boar**

The first of the crossed out (underlined) names appeared. Kirito began ignoring the ones that were still alive and focused on the names of the dead.

**|BaronD**** : Suicide: Falling**

**|Bastion****: Suicide: Falling**

**|Benson**** : Suicide: Falling**

**|Byakushi****: Monster: Blue Boar**

**|Caishi****: Suicide: Falling**

**|Cooper**** : Monster: Little Nepent**

Kirito paused as he saw the last one.

_Cooper… Little Nepent?_

The time stamp next to Cooper's name showed he had died yesterday, 9:46 PM Aincrad Standard Time.

There was no doubt.

_Cooper… so that was your name._

The name of the player who had tried to MPK him, Mane, and Heathcliff, but died due to inexperience with the «Concealment» skill in the «Hiding» Skillset. Slaughtered, overwhelmed by Little Nepents. Which had, ironically, saved their lives.

Cooper.

"…"

Kirito changed his target, moving around to the center of the «Monument of Life». He bumped into Klein, who was also searching the monolith. Klein gave him a quick glance, before turning his attention back to the names.

"Here's the K section…" Klein pointed it out. Kirito read down it.

**|Kain**

**|Karl**

Kirito quickly skipped ahead, to the Ki- list.

**|Kim**

**|Kimberly**

A few more seconds, then Kirito found his name, hovering under Kira.

**|Kirito**

He put a finger on his name. A small electric tingle raced down his spine.

Should he ever die, his name would be crossed out, and the reason for his death would be written here, on the «Monument of Life». The thought made him feel vulnerable.

Shaking the feeling off, Kirito memorized the position of his name, then continued down the list.

"Hey, Kirito, here's my name." Klein waved him over, then pointed it out.

**|Klein**

"So it is... looks like you're not dead." Kirito examined the name closely. "I suppose you'll die from overeating pizza someday."

"Har Har."

Suddenly struck by a thought, Kirito looked over to see Mane also searching down the list with her finger. He walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

Mane looked up, then turned her attention back to the list. "Kirito-kun..."

"Hmm?"

"I can't find my name."

Kirito jerked, eyes widening. "What!?"

"I... here... Ma-?"

Kirito quickly scanned the list.

**|Mamine**

**|Manami**

**|Mao**

**|Mariko**

Mane should have been under Manami and above Mao.

Yet, as Kirito scanned the list again, her name wasn't there.

_...how?_

She wasn't on the «Monument of Life». Her name was not there.

Confused, he pulled out his menu and friends list, reaffirming the fact that Mane was spelled M-A-N-E. Then he checked the monument again.

No. M-A-N-E did not appear anywhere on the list of names.

He pulled Mane close, as if the fact that her name was not on the monument would cause her to disappear. "Mane... do not mention this to anyone. Anyone, okay?"

"Eh? Uh... okay..."

Kirito stared hard at the space where Mane's name should have been. Slowly, he let go of Mane, who blinked several times.

_Mane's name is not on the «Monument of Life»._

His eyes turned slightly to the left to look at the girl in question. Innocent expression, wide eyes, slowly scanning the list of names.

Appearing in front of him without any system-assisted teleports. Fragmented memory. Historica. Uncanny similarity. The absence of her name.

Kirito clutched his head and glared back at the obelisk.

The «Monument of Life» carried the names of all ten thousand players on Aincrad.

Mane wasn't on the list.

Yet, Mane was right there. Right in front of him. She was most definitely a player.

_...how?_

"Klein... let's go." Kirito called without looking away from the obelisk.

"...Yeah. We should go now." Klein scratched his head. "This thing is creeping me out... guys! We're going."

Some sighs of relief came from the side of the room, as all four of Klein's friends turned away from the tablet and walked back outside.

Kirito peeled his eyes from the names and spotted Sirius near the right end of the monument. He jogged over.

"Sirius...?"

Sirius ignored him, gazing at a certain name. Kirito followed his line of sight.

**|Susumu:**** Monster: Blue Boar**

The time of death read just a little over an hour ago.

"Oh..." Kirito swallowed. "Was he... one of your...?"

Sirius nodded slowly. "Susumu... he was always the optimistic one. A pretty nice guy..."

It seemed his next words had gotten stuck in his throat; he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Kirito stayed still for a few moments, then laid an encouraging hand on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius glanced at him for a second, then sighed and walked away.

"Oi, Kirito! We're leaving!" Klein's voice called.

Looking up, Kirito realized he and Mane were the only ones left by the tablet. Everyone else had left and was waiting by the large arched doorway.

Mane looked at him, giving him a look that basically said, "I'll wait for you." He returned it.

This girl... such an enigma. Yet, she felt so unbearably familiar.

He turned back and examined the large monument one last time, locating his name. The obelisk caught a solitary ray of illumination for a moment, winking knowingly.

**|Kirito**

His name, his life. Crossed out when he dies.

How very fitting.

_No. It will never be crossed out._

He had something to do first. He had a goal to accomplish.

Until then, he would not die.

He hoped.

Kirito whirled around and ran back towards Klein and Sirius, Mane following behind.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I oringinally intended this to be half a chapter... then my beta told me, post in half, and I thought, well, it's New Years. POST IT FOR GOODNESS SAKE.  
**

**Yes, this is mostly a filler chapter, but the next chapter will be more action, I promise.  
**

**Some of you may have noticed some logical inconsistencies in the previous chapter. I've edited some parts to make it make more sense, but I'll also go back soon and make the reasons more watertight. Thanks to those who reviewed and notified me.  
**

**Sirius will be pretty important soon. He's my second OC, whatcha think of him?  
**

**I do notice that only Kunimittz remains of Klein's original canon friends. I felt their names were too, eh, I dunno, I just didn't like them. So I gave them some new names. :3  
**

**Review Answers  
**

**Some reviews cannot be answered for the sake of spoiling, but let me see... **

**Mane isn't the opposite of Kirito, she's very similar. She has all his old habits, thoughts, etc.  
**

**Actually, if you read the light novel chapter, "First Day", he does get to level 4 as well. Quote: "The quest completion message floated in the middle of my vision, the bonus experience points added, and my level got to four." Plus, he, Mane, and Heathcliff fought 3 times as many Nepents as he did in that chapter, the exp was divided up evenly, and so he also gets to level 4 here. Mane does too.  
**

**Thanks, Inconspicuous Llama. Avoided certain danger! TAIC is now rated T for safety.  
**

**Don't worry about Kirito becoming a sue as well. He's gonna get some serious things coming for him... eheheh...  
**

***Gets stabbed by Kirito, smiles shakily as HP decreases*  
**

* * *

**Thanks to all who gave constructive criticism and compliments. I really do appreciate it. If you have the time, please review for this chapter as well and help a growing writer bloom :3  
**

**Special thanks to Rainbowlalaland, who beta'd this story, and ToumaFF, who referenced TAIC in his story the Prince of Swords. If you haven't read it yet (which I highly doubt), by all means, try it out! It's a well-written fiction. Certainly better than this piece you're reading~  
**

* * *

**This time, I remembered to do the Disclaimer BEFORE I posted the chapter. I do not own Sword Art Online, only the OCs and the story itself.  
**


	5. Chapter 4: Despair

**Chapter 4: Despair**

A tarnished red glow enveloped Klein's blade as he yelled and brought it down upon a «Blue Boar», reducing its HP to zero and banishing it from the world. Having already learned the basics from Kirito the day before, he progressed extremely quickly and had reached level 2 already.

"Gahh! Haah! RAHHH!"

Takumi swung his sword over and over again, missing every single swing. The boar in front of him, surprisingly nimble despite its bulk, made small movements in its charge that allowed it to evade all of his strikes. With another tackle, around 5% of Takumi's HP was butted off, leaving him at around 75%.

"Argh!"

"Take it easy!" shouted Kirito. "Assume the starting position and let the system take over your movements!"

Gritting his teeth, Takumi attempted to calm himself down. He took several deep breaths.

"Raise your arm like you're about to deal a vertical downwards cut. Feel the attack, and imagine it..."

Takumi complied, raising his blade to around head height, then he ran at the boar. This time, it seemed he had caught the hang of it, as his blade shined bright orange and sliced through the air faster than all of his earlier attempts.

With a crisp 'slish', the blade struck the boar on the head, dealing an impressive amount of damage. It snarled in pain, and countered with a headbutt, which Takumi instinctively dodged.

"Nice one, Taku!", Daichi, the one with the large pirate cap and mustache, called. His moment of distraction gave the «Blue Boar» he was engaging an opening, causing his HP to take a slight fall. "Gah!"

He immediately countered, sword glowing yellow as his «Horizontal» cleaved into the side of the boar, reducing its hp to about half.

Kirito glanced around with a careful eye, trying to assess each of Klein's friends' progress, as well as making sure none of their HP bars fell below 50%.

Mane was sitting next to him, vaguely looking out into the general northeastern direction. She blinked several times, then seemed to sink into a stupor.

Both he and Mane refrained from taking part in the combat, due to several reasons. One, because they were already level 4. Slaying a level 1 monster would give them substantially reduced rewards than, say, another «Little Nepent». Secondly, because doing so would split the total experience among all the battle participants. Thus, they would impair the experience growth of everyone else, with no benefit to them, which was usually known as 'Leaching' in MMO games. These «Blue Boar» kills would be worth more if given to everyone else, especially the level 1 players in their group.

As a result, Kirito simply watched over everyone from the top of a hill, making sure that they were all safe. Mane, left to her own devices, had just sat next to Kirito and nodded off, sometimes half-awake, and sometimes half-asleep.

Sirius had learned extremely quickly. Already, he was smashing through the boars with reckless abandon, and Kirito decided not to interrupt his rampage, though he did keep a close eye on him. Sirius' face was hard, eyes burning bright with apparent fury as he slew the boars over and over again, avenging his fallen friends with every boar he brought down.

However, his attacks were completely on the offensive; as he reveled in his revenge, he left himself open to many counterattacks from the «Blue Boars», and his HP was dropping steadily as a result. Which was why Kirito kept a close eye on him.

Klein stepped forward, sword ablaze, smashing another boar into oblivion with a strong «Vertical» attack. Kunimittz was right beside him, and the pair managed to clear through several mobs at a respectable rate.

Riku was still trying to get the hang of sword skills, swinging his sword back and forth. His short black hair would have been glistening with sweat if he had been in the real world, but in the NerveGear induced environment, one never needed a shower.

Kirito quickly ran over to him. He took Riku's sword arm and positioned it. "This. If you ever replicate a movement similar to this one, and try to begin a downwards slash, the system will recognize it. Just imagine the slash, and do it."

Riku smiled wryly at Kirito, before turning away and settling into a stance. As he watched, Kirito noted his stiff movements. Again, Riku tried to replicate the sword skill «Vertical», but still couldn't activate it.

The man was too tense. Perhaps, like many newer players of Sword Art Online, he believed focus and energy were the keys to sword fighting.

On the floating castle of Aincrad, it wasn't like that. The best path in battle was to relax and adapt to the situation. If a player never trusted nor relied on «System Assist», it would be near impossible for them to execute sword skills, where the player handed over command of his body to the system.

Kirito studied his form for a few seconds, then motioned for Riku to stop. "Riku... you aren't entrusting yourself to the system. Unless you learn to somewhat relax... the system can't guide your movements."

The man tensed for a moment, considering Kirito's words, then sighed. Shifting, he tried to ease his tension, rolling his neck and relaxing his entire body. Then, he assumed his stance again and continued to practice.

Kirito returned his attention to everyone else. Quickly noting that some of the HP bars had dropped below 65%, he quickly called to them to consume some healing potions.

Sirius in particular had dropped into the yellow zone, already at 45%. Heedless of this, he continued to charge forward, bashing though several «Blue Boars» in front of him.

After several minutes of this, Kirito felt that Sirius was going too far out.

"Sirius," Kirito shouted in alarm. "Don't be too reckless!"

Sirius violently crushed the last «Blue Boar's» skull with an overhand «Vertical», then whirled around, eyes burning with anger. Kirito narrowed his eyes, and the two of them silently wrestled, Sirius telling Kirito to buzz off, and Kirito telling Sirius to stop.

Then the rage in Sirius' eyes dropped out, and he sighed. The «Anneal Blade» he had received from Mane was sheathed back into the plain leather scabbard on his back, and he walked wearily over to Kirito. Plopping himself down on the grass, he popped a potion from his belt and gently drafted it.

After fixing Sirius with a long look, Kirito released a deep breath with a sigh, then turned to look over everyone else. Riku had finally gotten the gist of the «Sword Skills» and was delighting in his blade drawing purple arcs in the air.

Klein and Kunimittz were panting, high-fiving each other with wild grins on their faces. Takumi was happily finishing off his last boar, elated that he could finally use the skills. Daichi was scowling as he checked his HP bar, he then proceeded to drain three restorative potions in exactly three gulps.

Mane stretched and yawned, as if without a care in the world. She looked quite drowsy, as if the sunlight beating down on her had a soporific effect. Indeed, the combination of the scenery and the climate did make Kirito slightly drowsy, but he stayed alert.

"Klein, did you level up yet?" Kirito asked. Klein pulled out his menu and raised an eyebrow at his character page.

"Apparently yes. I'm level 2 now."

Kunimittz glanced at him. "Hey congrats, Klein. But you didn't even realise that?"

"Heh, it never told me. Shouldn't you be level 2 too?" Klein pointed. "C'mon. Pull out your stats and take a look."

As it turned out, after some menu pulling and checking, all of them had been elevated to level 2. Kirito quickly explained that the system refrained from giving the level up congratulatory notice during combat, as the shiny gold screen would distract and possibly lead to the death of the player, if he or she were in a tight situation. Thus, it would only pop up the next time the player opened his or her menu.

Sirius, having slain the most «Blue Boars» in his fury, was almost level 3. He had already filled up over 3/4ths of his exp bar, surprisingly. Riku however, had only just managed to clear level 2, having acquired the ability to use the skills later than everyone else.

Kirito initially, had only expected all of them be at the cusp of hitting level 2. For everyone to have leveled up so quickly, it was a good sign.

The small group of eight had been out training in the Northeastern fields for well over an hour. Some of Klein's friends had shivered and tensed as they had left the safety of the «Area Protection Code» after hearing what the native monsters had done to Sirius' friends. They quickly learned however, that if you had the knowledge to use «Sword Skills», the danger was marginalized.

Kirito had made sure that all of them had one of their Skill points in a proper combat skill set. Sirius, Klein, and Kunimittz had taken up «1-H Sword», while Riku, Daichi, and Takumi had decided on «2-H Sword». The basic sword, while obsolete compared to most other blades in Aincrad, was a «1-and-a-half Sword», able to be used for both 1-handed and 2-handed combat, though with slightly diminished effectiveness in both categories.

Most of them decided to allocate their second skill point later, after some contemplation. Nobody minded, since the combat skills were much more important at the moment.

Kirito had then explained the basics of the «Sword Skills» system that Sword Art Online used. Kunimittz and Sirius understood and caught on instantly, while the other three had needed some practice to get the hang of it.

By this time, all of Klein's friends had learned how to properly use and execute «Sword Skills».

"So, guys... you've all leveled up? You'll need to distribute your new stat points now."

Klein perked up. "Oh, yeah! I love this part!" And he swiftly pressed his thumb and index finger together, drawing them down, and pulled out his menu.

One of the favorite moments of an MMORPG player were the times when they could allocate their stats and skill points. It came with a feeling of personalization, a feeling of your avatar growing, and the pride that comes with you becoming stronger.

It didn't take long for them to decide how to allot their newly acquired points. Klein focused on a balance between the skills, ending up with four points in both «Strength» and «Agility», saving the other two for «Vitality». Kunimittz and Daichi followed his example, opting for a more balanced build.

Riku chose to go for offense, having 7 STR and 3 AGI, while on the other hand, Takumi focused on defense, having 6 VIT and 3 STR. Sirius decided on an offensive build as well, like what Riku, Mane, and Kirito had done. Next to no points in «Vitality», emphasizing power and speed.

After watching everyone finish distributing their new points, Kirito drew out his own menu and gazed at his stat values. Being at level four, he already had twenty stat points in total. Ten in STR, seven in AGI, and three in VIT. A mostly offensive build, some extra HP and defense on the safe side.

Mane, again copying Kirito, had placed ten in AGI and seven in STR. The remaining three points went into VIT. At that time, Kirito had given her another tired look, to which she had replied with a completely innocent face.

Again.

Since they had started training, none of them had seen other players around at all. Perhaps the other players simply weren't in the area, but remembering the state of most people in the city, Kirito was almost completely sure that the players in their group were the only ones out in the wild.

The notion worried him. If nobody tried to clear the game... they could quite possibly be stuck on the first floor forever.

_We need to fight._ _Clear the game... get everyone home._

Kirito suddenly remembered Heathcliff, the player he had met the day before.

_I feel my sole goal in life is to clear Aincrad._

While being the main focus of his life might be an overstatement, Kirito mostly felt the same way. The red paladin's drive to clear the game... Kirito wished everyone had it.

Sighing, he glanced back towards the tall wall surrounding Starting City. The tall battlements gleamed white in the harsh noon light. While the sun had already been hidden by the bottom of the second floor, the ceiling appeared to give off natural light, shaded blue like a clear azure sky on a sunny day. One could swear there wasn't even a roof above them.

Behind the walls of Starting City, around nine thousand players sat. Doing nothing, moping around... hopeless...

"Kirito, should we go eat lunch now? We're all pretty hungry." Klein's voice brought him back down to earth as Mane tugged at his shoulder.

Looking back at the group, Kirito suddenly realized just how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten anything, virtual or in real life, since before he logged on the day before and been trapped in this death game. No dinner yesterday, no breakfast today. As if in sudden realization, his stomach rumbled, just loud enough for Mane to hear. His cheeks turned a little pink.

_Eh, I'm hungry..._

Mane glanced at him, with an expression that said, 'I just realized I'm starving too...'

"_Kirito-kun? Can we go eat? I'm hungry..."_

Again, he could hear Mane without anyone else hearing. Kirito was still slightly bewildered by it, though as the moments of silent communication became more frequent, he was beginning to get used to them.

Kirito looked over the group, and saw, for the first time, that they were all pretty tired. Klein and his friends, though looking happy and were high-fiving each other, were slumping over and their smiles had a tired side to them. Sirius was lying on his back, staring into the sky, mouth half open and eyes blank. Mane looked a lot livelier than he did, though still quite hungry.

"Ah... yeah, let's all go get something to eat. We made good progress today."

With a few tired cheers, the group picked themselves up and started walking back towards the city. Kirito waited for most of them to begin walking away, then walked over to where Sirius lay, half unconscious.

"You okay, Sirius?"

Sirius turned his head, raising an eyebrow at his question. "Duh."

Well, that could have meant multiple things, but Kirito decided to remain silent. They maintained eye contact for a few moments, then Kirito stretched out his hand.

Sirius accepted it, and with a grunt, pulled himself upright. Wobbling a little, he blinked several times as his body reoriented itself.

"Thanks..."

Sirius instinctively dusted himself off, before remembering that in SAO, there wasn't any dust, so the gesture was meaningless. He awkwardly froze, fearing for his dignity, then sighed again before turning to walk back to the safety of Starting City.

Mane wandered over, seeing as they were the only ones left. "Let's go now?"

Kirito watched Sirius' back for a few moments before nodding, taking one last glance around the clearing to make sure everyone had left.

With light crunching sounds as they stepped on the grass underfoot, the last of the players left the clearing.

The area they had chosen was a small patch of plains where there weren't as many «Blue Boars» as there were in the surrounding area. None of them wanted to be overwhelmed by hordes of monsters; Thus, Kirito had suggested this place, with lesser amounts of monsters, yet still teeming with enough of them to provide a steady flow of exp.

The path back was, thankfully, programmed to be free of monsters. However, that road winded back and forth for a pretty long time, so most players that chose to save time walked through the tall grass, dealing with the boars as they were encountered. Monsters could still run onto the path as well, if a player led them there.

Thankfully, their training path was quite close to the Starting City, so it was at most a ten minute walk back to safety. Kirito relaxed as he stepped onto the dirt path, certain that they wouldn't encounter any «Blue Boars» all the way back.

Klein and his friends were chatting up ahead, completely at ease, since they knew this path was monster-free. Sirius, Mane, and Kirito hung back slightly, not very comfortable with being social.

A cool breeze coming from the west brushed past Kirito's face, calming him. He released a pent up breath that he hadn't known he was holding, and rolled his shoulders, easing the tension.

Abruptly, his and Mane's stomachs rumbled in tandem. They looked at each other for a moment, then Kirito half-smiled and Mane giggled. Sirius watched them for a moment, looking as if he'd also smile, then his face dropped and he sighed again.

Kirito frowned, then pointed out Sirius' strange behavior. "Why do you keep on getting depressed?"

Sirius gave him a brief glance before turning away. Kirito laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Sirius. The game will definitely be cleared. Don't worry."

"It's not _that _I'm worried about." Sirius stared at him with a hard expression. "Sure, the game will be cleared. My friends won't ever get to see that."

"...Oh..."

"They're gone. They're dead. I killed those who killed them. Over thirty of them. I thought it would help. Revenge. And yet... I don't feel like its done anything. It doesn't _feel _any different." He glanced down at the palm of his open hand. "The pain..."

"Sirius, the past is the past. It has become history... it can't be changed."

"I know that. Yet... it hurts so much." Sirius closed his eyes, his hand were clenched tight. "Makoto, Susumu, Jun, Katsumi, Hayato... and Soichi. They're all gone. Gone forever."

Kirito remained silent, as well as Mane, who was listening quietly.

Sirius murmured. "Makoto was a nice person... he was a big guy, but gentle. Susumu, always optimistic, mischievous, happy, funny. Good man... Soich, she was..." He trailed off, unable to continue. "...it's too painful."

Kirito watched his friend stare at the ground passing beneath his feet for a while, unsure of what to say.

Sirius' friends were gone. That was a stated fact, the truth, the past. Nothing could change that.

But... perhaps, his memories, their dreams... their bonds?

Kirito finally spoke his mind. "Live on for your friends. They've died... but you've survived. You're still here, alive... live on for them, and never forget them. They'll... live on in you."

Sirius blinked at him, appearing stunned. Mane tilted her head in surprise, a wondrous expression on her face. Kirito himself was a little surprised at his own moment of profoundness.

The silver-haired boy looked back at the path and continued walking, deep in thought. Kirito thought it might be his imagination, but Sirius seemed to walk with a less hesitant gait.

Mane, still walking beside him, also appeared to be thinking hard. Her eyes weren't focused and she was depending on her grip on Kirito's arm to guide her.

Kirito looked ahead, seeing that their pace had slackened and that they were falling behind Klein. He tapped Mane and Sirius on their shoulders, breaking their reverie. He motioned for them to walk faster, and the trio ran to catch up.

* * *

The western district of Starting City contained the most NPC restaurants, compared to the rest of the city. Vendors lined the streets, and the smell of food wafted through the air. Black Bread was sold at almost every counter, at the price of 1 col per loaf, easily the least expensive item in the game. However, even if many varied forms of cuisine were available for purchase, they were all priced quite high for the limited budget of those too scared to move out of the influence of the «Area Protection Code», so most people bought the bread to eat, or perhaps the bowls of white rice for the slightly higher price of 5 col.

But the party had been out farming in the wilds for over an hour already, and their in-game wallets had swelled to five times the size they had been before. So they could have afforded nearly anything, except...

Klein ran down the entire avenue twice, looking around wildly, before returning with a dejected air around him.

"No pizza! They call this a food market when it doesn't have pizza!?"

Kirito walked over and swatted Klein on the head.

"Ow! What was that for!?"

Kirito gave him a neutral look. "I will hit you every time you mention pizza from now on. Come on, let's save our col and buy something cheap..." He walked over to a nearby stall. "Here, rice and some vegetables and meat, how's this? Only 8 col."

Klein rubbed his head, then growled in a good natured way, "Gah... be that way!" And followed in a huff.

The rest of Klein's friends snickered, while Mane giggled. Sirius cracked a small smile before walking over to wait behind the two in line.

All of them got their food pretty quickly, Klein's friends buying some ale as well, and barely paused to say 'itadakimasu' before digging in. Mane in particular didn't wait at all, and had already taken a bite even before she had left the stall.

Food consumption in virtual reality was a little bit confusing. Upon eating the food, the system would send pre-recorded sensations, including touch and taste, to your brain via the NerveGear's sensors. Once consumed, the system would then give you the sensation of being full. The feeling was only temporary, however, as the body's actual hunger would come back quickly, which was designed so hardcore gamers would remember they had to actually consume something physical.

Kirito wondered how his body was getting the nutrients it needed to survive, and supposed that he was being fed in a manner similar to long-term coma patients: mush through the mouth.

He shook his head quickly, clearing that thought away.

Sitting around a small table in the middle of one of Starting City's many parks, the group ate in silence. The gentle sound of falling water emitted from a nearby fountain. Other than that, few noises could be heard; the square was mostly deserted, save for a few players eating their respective meals.

Kirito always ate his meals very quickly, as he had hated to spend time away from his precious video games. As he spooned another mouthful of rice into his mouth, his memories of his last meal in the real world swam to the forefront of his mind.

"_Kazuto, are you going back to your games again?"_

"_Come on, Onii-chan, can we watch a movie together?"_

"_I have to get a head start in SAO... maybe tomorrow!"_

Staring at his food, he now wished he could have stayed with his family longer. Perhaps he could have just sat with Suguha longer, talked to his mother more? Instead, he had just consumed his dinner at the speed of light and left for the world of Aincrad.

The spoon he was holding dropped back into the bowl, and Kirito sighed.

_The past is the past, eh... I'm sorry..._

He felt a touch on his arm. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Mane, sitting next to him with her bowl empty, looking at him with a concerned expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Kirito-kun?"

"Yes... you're done already?"

"Can I have some more?"

With a small smile, he got up, glanced at Klein and the others, and walked back to the stand, Mane following him eagerly.

The NPC looked up and raised his eyebrow. "Another one?"

Kirito nodded. "Yes, please." The NPC held out his hand, and Kirito deposited a 10-col coin into it, withdrawn from the pouch at this waist. After a moment of rummaging behind a counter, the man dumped two 1-col coins into Kirito's hand, then turned to busy himself with the cooker.

Delicious mixed smells of rice, cabbage, and beef rose to Kirito's nose. He enjoyed the scents for a while, though it didn't make him hungry, since he was already full. Mane, on the other hand, sniffed the air multiple times, then licked her lips. Kirito was vaguely reminded of a puppy.

When the NPC had finished cooking, Kirito accepted the dish and handed it to Mane, who immediately dug in again without delay. He gently steered Mane back to their table, settling her down in a chair while she continued to nom her second sharing.

Sirius gently picked at his rice with his spoon rhythmically, taking small bites. Kirito watched, mildly fascinated at the clockwork movement, then checked the chronometer in the lower right hand corner of his vision.

_12:36, eh? I suppose she would be there by now._

"Klein, I need to go somewhere for a second." Kirito got up, patted Mane and Sirius on the shoulders. "I'll be back soon."

"Mrrrph?" Klein attempted to speak with his mouth full, then held up a hand and continued chewing. Upon swallowing, he cleared his throat and said, a lot clearer, "Alright then. Come back soon, I wanna hit level three today!"

His friends cheered at his words, and they clinked their cups of ale together. Sirius looked at him with a questioning look on his face, but Kirito shook his head. Mane appeared not to take notice of him, still completely immersed in her food.

Kirito slipped out of the square through a side passage, emerging onto a side street. Taking the steps that he had taken many times before in the beta, he followed the familiar route into a deeper section of the city.

A thin slice of the city in the Northwestern quarter housed the most taverns, as in buildings serving both ale and rooms for the night. The quality ranged to both ends, some rooms as cheap as bread and creaked at night, while others costing a hundred col per night that were as luxurious as a palace. Every single establishment also hosted a bar where players hung out and drinks were served. Apple cider was the preferred drink for the minors, and ale for the adults. And of course, with no actual alcohol interfering with brain activity, it could be said these drinks were non-alcoholic, as there was no chance of getting drunk in-game.

It was towards one of these institutions that Kirito angled towards as he stepped out of the alleyway he had traveled through and walked down the street. A small, medium sized place, looking quite cozy. The sign above read, «Rat's Tail». As he pushed open the door, a small tinkle sounded as the bell mounted on the frame was rung.

The inside of the establishment was dark, due to the fact that there were no windows. Instead, lighting was provided by lanterns and candles mounted on the walls, which gave a comfortable and rustic feeling. The room was quite spacious, tables and chairs neatly aligned, and the bar itself was polished and seemed to gleam under the firelight. The slightly chubby bartender looked up at his entrance. As always, the gigantic mustache wobbled dangerously before settling.

"Hello, welcome to the «Rat's Tail»." he intoned. "Would you like something to drink?"

Kirito responded smoothly, as he had done before, "Yes. I would like a cup of Bière de Garde, perhaps 3 pints of Gueuze, as well as a large bottle of Saison."

The bartender stared at him and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"Nevermind. I'll have some Apple Cider." Kirito walked over to the bar and plopped himself down on the seat.

Of course, the bar didn't actually serve such a wide variety of ale. It only served the usual type of beer, simply referred to as 'ale'. Selections such as Gueuze and Saison were unavailable, though perhaps they could be bought on later floors.

But the words weren't meant for the bartender's ears. Those words, said exactly in that order, were meant for the other person listening in the room.

The bartender pulled out a tankard from under the bar and filled it with a large dose of apple cider, then carrying it over and placing it on the table. The gentle movement caused his moustache to tilt dangerously.

Kirito fished out the two coins he had received as change from buying Mane her second helping and placed them on the countertop. The man nodded, moustache nearly tipping over, and scooped the coins into his pocket, wandering back down the bar to polish some glasses.

The boy sipped the cider appreciatively, feeling the cool liquid run down his throat. The cool feeling and taste rejuvenated him, and he shivered slightly. Idly tapping the bar with his foot, he waited for her to stop wasting his time. Around a minute passed.

Finally, with a scuffling sound, he felt, rather than heard or saw, a form sidle up and sit in the barstool next to him. Without turning around, he nonchalantly took another sip from his tankard.

"Hai, Ki-bou."

Taking his time, he slowly drained the rest of the liquid out of the cup. After the last drop had disappeared down his throat, he set the tankard down on the bar and wiped his mouth. Only then did he turn to face the girl next to him.

"Hello, Argo."

"Not nice of you to keep me waiting."

"Not nice of you to keep me waiting too. Besides, what's with your code? It's not like anyone else is gonna overhear us."

Indeed, cozy as the «Rat's Tail» was, the entire place was deserted save the two and the bartender, who was humming a random tune while wiping the countertop.

Argo pouted, her hair rustling under her hood. Her face was sharp, and her purple eyes glinted mischievously in the shadows cast by the torchlight. Most prominent, however, were the stripes along her face, which had earned her the name, «Rat»: 3 horizontal whiskers mirrored on both sides.

"Come on, give a girl her time and privacy. The code is fine. Descriptive enough, yet inconspicuous."

Kirito blinked. "Far too detailed, in my opinion. By the way, you seem quite chipper compared to everyone else."

"Well, I guess it was because I lived here most of the time anyways." She flipped off her hood, exposing her short brown hair. "Reality wasn't that... pleasent."

"..." Kirito had nothing to say in response to that.

"It's alright. It's nothing major." She twirled her hand. "You know there are some people who actually like this situation? They get to play all day."

"Those are the real nutcases."

"Hmm, maybe so..."

They sank into a quiet, companionable silence.

"Anyways..." Argo perched her elbows on the countertop and rested her head on her hands. "How can I help you today, Ki-bou?"

Argo was also a beta tester, just like Kirito. However, she had quite a different profession; she dealt and traded in information. An information dealer, someone who sold and bought data and intel on players, skills, items, quests, and pretty much everything that existed in the game. Kirito was sure that if he had a question on the game's workings, he could acquire the answer from Argo.

In addition, she was one of the few people he had trusted. For a solo player, that meant a lot.

"I have a question to ask."

Argo smiled. "You always have a question to ask."

"Of course... do you require a price?" The girl's data usually came with a hefty tag, usually with two or more zeros on it.

"Hmm..." She tapped her chin. "That depends. Let us hear your request first. Perhaps this time I'll give it to you for free... if you hurry up. I have to get back to this book I'm writing."

"A book?" Kirito frowned slightly. "I never knew you to be the type to write a book."

Argo waggled her finger. "No, silly Ki-bou. It's a manual." She waved her arms for emphasis. "I'm putting some essential information into a manual so people won't die as much. Combat and some quest guides."

"Really? A guide?" Kirito was surprised. "This isn't like you... you usually give out information through your contacts."

Argo shrugged. Her eyes shined for a moment as they caught the firelight.

"And I suppose you will be selling them?"

"No. I plan to place them in the general store's inventory at the price of zero col."

Kirito was stunned for a few moments. "For free! This isn't like you at all. Normally you're so stingy about money."

Argo's expression suddenly turned serious. Her brow furrowed. "This isn't 'normally', Kirito. People are dying. In real life. This is no longer a game."

Kirito noticed she did not call him 'Ki-bou', which was her usual pet name for him.

_She must really be serious..._

"Alright... sorry..." Kirito closed his eyes for a moment. "To be honest, I am glad that you're helping them..."

The tension in Argo's face somewhat eased, and she continued good naturedly.

"Only in the way I can. Like you are. You're helping a group of players learn the game, aren't you?"

Kirito sighed. "Figures you'd find out so easily. And quickly, too."

"That's my job. One of my informants just so happened to be near you guys. Now, what was your question?"

"Oh... yea." Kirito took a moment to remember, then asked, "Do you know anything about memory loss?"

Argo blinked. "Huh?"

"Memory loss." Kirito scratched his head. "Do you know anything about it?"

The «Rat» screwed her eyes in concentration, searching her memory.

Kirito continued, "I have a... no, two friends. They don't remember anything from reality... Do you have any idea why?"

Argo shook her head. "Could they have died and survived the NerveGear microwaves?"

"I thought so too, but no... Kayaba said all forms of revival had been removed. It wouldn't be possible for them to return here..."

Argo turned away for a second, hand on her head, thinking hard. Her stare seemed to bore a dent in the hardwood counter beneath her before she admitted, "I don't know. I don't have a solid answer... Sorry, Ki-bou."

"It's alright." Kirito sighed. "It's a tough question... Thanks for trying, though."

"Sorry, Ki-bou." She straightened up and slid off the stool. "I'll keep an eye out for information. If I ever find any, I'll tell you, okay?"

"Alright... thank you, Argo."

Argo smiled and twirled her finger. "Remember, this'll be the special price!"

Kirito groaned inwardly, knowing that her 'special price' was usually higher than her normal fare. But, he kept his face neutral. "You never do miss the chance to swindle me, do you?"

"Well, you're a friend, so I know I can press you for enormous amounts of money and you'd never complain." Argo snickered, then drew out her menu and selected a few options.

A notice appeared in front of Kirito. In the dim light of the tavern, the window glowed with an ethereal aura.

|| Argo would like to be your friend!

|| - Accept

|| - Decline

Kirito's finger hovered over the 'accept' option, then mischievously switched to 'decline'. Argo's eyes suddenly narrowed. Kirito could swear there were black clouds and thundering lightning over their heads.

"Don't you dare, Ki-bou." She growled, eyes flashing, tone menacing and full of promised hurt. Kirito swallowed and chuckled nervously.

"I was just kidding..." He murmured, and pressed accept. A small chime confirmed the registration.

Immediately, Argo's mood did a complete one-eighty; she smiled widely and her aura was radiant with joy. "Well, that's that! I'll notify you via PM, kay, Ki-bou?"

Kirito nodded, then stood up, sliding off the stool. The bell tinkled, and Kirito turned to see a group of players enter the room. The bartender looked up, and began his usual introductory phrase.

One of the group scanned the room, a blue-haired man who looked to be in his twenties. Spotting the two by the bar, he nodded before talking to the bartender.

"Well, I suppose I had better go. It looks like you have another customer." Kirito turned to leave, before Argo wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him back.

"Oh? That eager to leave my side, Ki-bou?" She murmured into his ear. Then a giggle, and she released him. "Just kidding, Ki-bou. Have fun with your training!"

Her presence behind him vanished. Kirito stayed still for a moment, then looked behind him.

Nobody was there.

_Well, she picked «Hiding» as usual, I see._

He turned and walked back towards the entrance, stepping aside for the group to pass through first. The blue-haired player caught his eye and nodded. There was a strange flicker in his eyes, almost unnoticeable. Kirito cautiously nodded in return.

After the group passed by, he walked over to the bartender and flipped him another 1-col coin as tip, which the man caught deftly and stored in his pocket. The man winked, his handlebar of facial hair swaying with the slight movement. Kirito had always wondered how that moustache kept itself upright, and even now, he still didn't have an answer.

Walking over to the door, he pushed it open. The bright noon sun blinded him momentarily, and Kirito instinctively shielded his eyes and blinked the spots away. Rubbing his eyes, he stepped forward a few steps-

-and collided with something, nearly falling over backwards. He grunted in surprise. "Ah-!?"

"Kirito-kun?" The voice came from in front of him.

"Eh?"

Kirito squinted as his eyes readjusted. "Mane? What are you doing here?"

The dark shape in front of him appeared to shrug. "I saw you leaving, so I followed you."

The light seemed to dim, and now Kirito could see Mane clearly, still gnawing on her spoon. The bowl was held by her other hand, almost empty.

"Where are the others? Sirius and Klein?"

"They're still there." Mane scooped up another bit of rice and meat and shoved it into her mouth. "Dey're weitin fwr ush to git bck.", she muffed out through her food.

"Ah... okay..." Kirito watched a grain of rice fall from her mouth to the ground, unusually fascinated. "Uh... let's go back now."

Mane nodded, swallowing, before finishing off the last of her rice straight from the bowl in one big gulp. Now completely empty, the bowl disintegrated into particles of light, evaporating into the air. The spoon in Mane's mouth lasted a few more seconds, then vanished too. Her teeth clacked shut on open air.

Kirito cracked a smile at Mane's disappointed face. "Ah... let's go."

He took her shoulder and lead her back the way they had came. It felt slightly awkward, seeing as they were both the same height, but Kirito felt Mane relax as he did so, so he assumed it was okay.

As he walked through the alleyways, shadows flitting back and forth on his face, Kirito wondered about the book Argo was writing.

She was helping in her own way. Giving out information, for free, nonetheless. Kirito wondered how many lives that manual would save.

Perhaps it was simple competition, but he wanted to best her. Make a bigger impact than her. Help more than her. That natural drive to be the best. Kirito sighed, clearing those thoughts away.

More importantly though, it seemed there was no plausible explanation for Mane and Heathcliff's memory loss. Not even Argo, the best-informed individual in Aincrad, could explain how they had come by the condition.

He glanced to his right, at the girl who was silently mourning the loss of her spoon. The image of a red-armored paladin swam to the forefront of his mind. Kirito gritted his teeth and resigned himself to the thought that it would have to remain a mystery.

Kirito's ears perked as he neared the plaza, his «Searching» skill enabling him to sense a multitude of noises coming from the open square. Mane looked up, also hearing the disturbance.

"What's going on?" Kirito muttered.

Mane tilted her head. "I don't know."

They were both astounded to find the square containing at least three times as many people than it had when they had left it. Around twenty people milled around, talking, a major difference compared to the small but noisy group of five from before.

"What-?"

Kirito just had enough time to utter that before he spotted Klein rushing up towards him, Sirius following close behind. "Klein! What in the name of-?"

"Hey, Kirito! Where have you been! You sure took your time!" Klein stopped before him and punched him gently in the shoulder. "These guys need help too. Can you?"

"Huh?" Kirito stepped back, bewildered. Things were happening too fast for him.

"Can you teach these guys how to fight as well? They want to clear the game, but they're still newbies like I was. They need your help."

"Ah!? I... erm, I..."

Kirito glanced frantically back and forth, taking in the sight. _Fifteen other players!?_

He stuttered out, "Where... where did you...? When did they...?"

"They were asking around for help." Sirius cut in, waving his hand towards one of the other entrances to the square. "Lost, wandering around, needing assistance. Klein here said he knew someone who had been a beta tester and that he was helping us, so they asked if they could join."

Kirito's eyes twitched, as he looked over the small crowd again. _Teach... teach them all?_ "All... _all_ of them? This many people?"

"Yup." Klein scratched his head. "So, Kirito, can you teach them as well? It would help a lot."

Kirito wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Twenty people? That was way out of his comfort zone. Ten people might have pushed it, but twenty?

"_That's a lot of people..." _Mane's voice echoed in his head. "_Nervous... I think Kirito-kun is too."_

Kirito glanced at Mane, who was observing the congregation with wide eyes. Again, he could hear her while nobody else could. He was starting to suspect that these were her thoughts.

"_But... Kirito-kun is a nice person. I'm sure he can do this... I'm sure... will help..."_

And with that her voice faded away. Mane blinked and turned her head, looking into Kirito's eyes. He hastily shook his head and looked back at the people, who were slowly starting to quiet down and take notice of him. Most were looking at him with hopeful expressions on their faces.

_Can I do this?_

Kirito remembered his fears. Fear that someone might die. As he observed the group of players in front of him, he imagined if one of them perished. If one of them vanished, because of him.

The thought was too much for him.

_I can't do this. I just can't... How will I bear it?_

"_Kirito-kun, you can do it. I trust you."_

Kirito jumped, head whipping around to stare at Mane, who looked at him hopefully. Klein raised an eyebrow at the action.

_Wha-?_

"_You will protect everyone. I sure of it. I'm sure you can do it."_

Mane nodded to him and smiled. It was an unusually wise smile, something Kirito had never seen before on her face, and her eyes glinted knowingly. Next to her, Sirius, unaware of their silent communication, gave him a reassuring look.

Strangely, the sight comforted him. He felt his heart ease, calm down, the nervous bands around it loosening.

He looked back at Klein, hesitating. Then he steeled himself, swallowed, and nodded.

"Great! It's all settled!" Klein turned back to the hopeful players. "Yeah, he says it's okay! Come on, let's go help clear the game!"

A cheer rose up, startling Kirito with its volume. The players started rushing over to him, shaking his hand, thanking him. The sheer volume of noise overwhelmed him for a moment, but as he blinked away his surprise, the feeling of gratitude being conveyed to him caused him to smile.

He felt better, surprisingly. Happy. Satisfied. Argo was helping people, and now he was too.

Someday... they would clear the game. He was sure of it.

Sirius caught Kirito's eye, and simply nodded at him. Next to him, Mane closed her eyes and sat down against a nearby tree.

Her voice echoed again in Kirito's head.

_I trust you. You can do it._

* * *

"Entrust yourself to the system! It's essential that you get the feel of the sword you wield and that of the skills you can use, it's the only way you can fight effectively here in SAO."

The youth in front of him grimaced, trying to ease his tension. Kirito felt a vague sense of deja-vu as he recalled how Riku had struggled to accept the system's movements as well.

With more people, Kirito had decided to move to one of the larger fields in the Northwest area. The low grass rustled in the breeze and occasionally crunched as a player or «Blue Boar» stepped on it.

Shrieks filled the air as the players continuously sliced at the easiest mobs in the game. Boar after boar shattered as their HP bars were depleted, and with each kill, the players felt more confident.

Multi-colored lights flashed repeatedly as the players demonstrated their newly learned «Sword Skills» in a deadly way against the «Blue Boars». The feeling of being able to do something, to act, to strike back at those that would kill them in this death game, that feeling gave the players great glee as they hacked and slashed the boars' health away.

Kirito was trying to help the last few players, numbering around five, get the hang of using «Sword Skills». They were slashing their blades back and forth, still unable to activate the glow that heralded the «System Assist».

Klein and his friends were spread out, helping some of the newcomers with their techniques, or perhaps giving them tips for fighting and survival. Sirius had taken an interest in helping Kirito out, and was adjusting a young boy's position and showing him an example of the «Vertical» skill, speaking to him in a quiet tone.

Kirito patted the boy on the back, who was delightfully slicing the air with his blade, which now glowed green as he traced deadly arcs in the air. Looking over, he noted that most of the newcomers had mastered the «Sword Skills». Only two still required assistance, the rest were slicing with elation at the boars that roamed the area. Sirius was still dealing with one of them, leaving the last one to Kirito.

Kirito walked over to him, noting that again, the boy was unable to relinquish control over his body to the system, his own tension denying the «System Assist». He tapped the boy's shoulder, catching his attention, then explaining, again, how a player needed to trust the system and learn to use the skill starting positions smoothly. Then, he unsheathed the «Anneal Blade» from his back before demonstrating, slowly, how to use the skills without much of a delay and without exposing yourself. Frowning, the boy tried to copy his movements, and Kirito could see that he had nearly gotten it.

Excusing himself, looked around for Mane, and spotted her on the side of the hilly area that Kirito and Sirius were standing on, looking over the players attacking the boars. Every once in awhile, she flicked her hair out of her eyes, but otherwise she remained completely still. Only her eyes moved, scanning over the area.

Kirito paused for a moment, silently considering her form. He felt... different. Her confidence in him made him feel strangely motivated.

He suddenly realized he had been staring at the back of Mane's head for over twenty seconds. He quickly shook his head, clearing the cobwebs out of his brain.

The black-haired swordsman shielded his eyes from the sun for a moment, looking over the groups of players hacking at boars. A small fire kindled in his heart, a sense of pride, at what he had done. The feeling gave him such satisfaction. Satisfaction, by helping others.

He had helped people survive, helped people fight to clear the game. The pride in his chest swelled into a blaze.

Mane, Heathcliff, Klein, Sirius... and everyone below him, working together, clearing the game. The thought made him feel light-headed.

Had his old solo self seen him at that moment, he would have called the current Kirito cocky. Dangerously overconfident. Indeed, there was a small voice in his mind that was urgently speaking to him, but the sound went unnoticed.

His eyes squinted as he looked out over the groups beneath him, and idly watched one group as they surrounded and attacked a boar in unison, «Slant» attacks dicing the mob's health to zero in one flurry. As the boar squealed and disappeared, some of them cheered, the rest giving each other high-fives. Kirito assumed they had leveled up.

Smiling, he scanned the entire plains area, overlooking the players who were happily training up their exp. More of them briefly celebrated as they gained a level. Kirito spotted Klein and his friends waving their hands, and he jogged over to them.

"We're about three fourths of the way to level three!" Klein shouted. "Everyone else here is also almost level two!"

Kirito nodded and shouted back, "Good work!"

Klein grinned, then turned to fist-bump his friends before drawing his sword again.

Kirito traversed the area back to the high ground, where Sirius was waiting for him. Apparently he has succeeded in teaching the last boy the «Sword Skills». He stood next to Sirius and together they watched the players farm more of the «Blue Boars».

Sirius finally said, "Looking at this... I really do have hope we can clear the game."

Kirito didn't respond to this, his silence conveying what he wanted to say. Mane glanced up at the sound of Sirius' voice, before returning her attention to a blade of grass she was examining.

"I'll... go hunt some more." Sirius unsheathed his own «Anneal Blade» and started down the hill. "See if I can hit level four."

Kirito watched his back as Sirius reached the bottom of the hill, targeted, and engaged a lone «Blue Boar» in combat. He artfully chained together his skills and quickly sliced into the boar with a beautifully executed «Horizontal»-«Slant»-«Horizontal» combo, instantly killing it. Again, the pride in his heart grew.

Looking back to the rest of the players, he watched them for a while, then frowned.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but it seemed like there were less people here than before... He idly counted them off.

_One, two, three, four..._

Mane casually looked up at him, before standing up and stretching. Her mouth opened wide, like a cat, as she yawned for a good few seconds.

_...Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen... that's all._

Kirito stretched as well, deciding to join Sirius in farming.

_-wait._

Something prickled at the back of his neck. Kirito looked back at the players.

_Sixteen?_

There were supposed to be twenty of them.

He hurriedly counted again. Sixteen players including Klein's group, not including Mane, himself, or Sirius.

Four people were missing.

His heart started to beat faster. He rushed down the slope, startling Mane, who was still stretching her arms. "Kirito-kun?"

Kirito looked frantically back and forth, before running over to one of the players. "Some people are missing. Did you see anyone leave?"

The boy thought about it for an agonizing moment, then said, "I think... a while ago, four people? They went that way."

He pointed. Kirito's eyes followed the direction: In the direction of Horunka village, the Northeast.

_No way._

"Why did they go!? Did they say anything?"

"They said something about harder enemies." And with that, the boy concentrated on the «Blue Boar» his group was fighting, attacking it from behind.

Kirito, without waiting for anyone, dashed forwards in the direction the boy had pointed out as fast as he could. His eyes were narrowed, and had this been in the real world, a line of cold sweat would have broken out on his brow.

_Are they idiots!?_

They were, at most, almost level two! To be heading into an area that would be considered a challenge for level three players without any form of preparation or information was akin to suicide.

Although he wasn't physically tired, Kirito's breath came in irregularly short bursts.

_They can't have... they couldn't!_

The landscape passed by rapidly, and Kirito recognized the area from the day before, when he and Mane had arrived at Horunka Village. Gasping, he halted to a stop. He wildly looked back and forth.

_Where did they go!?_

_Off to the side._ A voice echoed in his head.

A small sea of trees hung on the left side of the path, not the one containing the «Little Nepents». Without hesitation, he took heed of the voice and threw himself into the forest.

It was then he heard the first scream. Panic clawed at his heart.

_No, _he thought. _No, no, no, no, NO!_

Dodging the vegetation that appeared in his way, he ran full pelt in the direction of the sound. It seemed to take ages to jump around every tree in his path. Finally, he burst out into a clearing, his «Anneal Blade» already drawn and ready in his hand.

Three of the players from before, were surrounded on all sides, their backs to a large tree that was sitting on the opposite edge of the clearing. Even as they held their basic swords in a stance Kirito had taught them, they were all visibly trembling. A horde of the more powerful «Blue Boar» mob filled the clearing, hemming them in on all sides.

A lone basic sword was planted in the ground before them, at a lopsided angle.

_NO!_

Blood roared in Kirito's screamed wordlessly and jumped straight into the group, blade drawing a dark arc through the air, instantly dispatching several of the boars with lucky critical hits.

Most of the remaining boars turned away from their original targets, their «Aggression» switching onto him. Even with that, around six boars remained locked onto the weaker players, pawing the ground and sniffing as they got ready to charge.

His vision tinged with red, Kirito threw himself into the midst of the mob with his «Anneal Blade» trailing with dark blue light. «Horizontals», «Verticals», and «Slants» were used, and for a moment, Kirito seemed to be caged in a spectacular ethereal cage. A halo of polygons surrounded him as they rose into the air and vanished.

Yet, even as their comrades were banished from the world, even more «Blue Boars» charged at him. Over and over again, as his avatar was momentarily immobilized due to the «Sword Skill» cooldowns, the mobs butted him with surprising strength, dealing heavy damage.

Not even noticing the damage, Kirito charged forward, ignoring the monsters behind him. His attention was entirely on the players desperately trying to fend off the boars currently attacking them.

Their technique was sloppy, Kirito immediately saw. In their panic, none of them were allowing the «System Assist» to guide their strikes, resulting in their slow, forceless attacks. Nor could they properly block or dodge any of the enemy attacks, due to the cramped space they had and their paralyzing fear.

Gritting his teeth, Kirito executed a higher level «Sword Skill», «Spin Attack». Learned when the «1-H Swords» skill reached 25, it was a low-powered skill that pushed enemies back. The grass rustled as the mobs hot on his tail were knocked back into the air, though barely a dent was made in their HP bars.

The same could not be said for the entrapped players. One of them seemed to break down due to fear; he fell to his knees in a huddled mess and started begging the boars for mercy.

Which, of course, the boars didn't understand. Their simple AI drove them to trample that player, and with a sinister tinkling sound, a cloud of blue shards rose from where the player had been kneeling. The remaining two screamed in panic, though they didn't drop their weapons just yet.

Desperation taking over his body, Kirito leaped forward and attacked again, destroying another boar and finally clearing a path to the players.

He jumped in front of them and whirled around to face the remaining enemies, shouting, "Are you two okay!?"

Without waiting for a response, he brought his sword to bear and attacked with a «Slant», killing another boar. While he had managed to reach them, the three of them were still surrounded by over fifteen more angry «Blue Boars».

_Protect them._

The two behind him were shivering in fear, he knew it. He had to protect them. Even as the thought crossed his head, one of the boars lifted it's head and squealed, which the rest of the pack took as an attack order. As one, they charged.

Kirito lost track of what happened after that. A mindless dance of death, intricate webs of light and flashing steel, the flurry of strikes that stuck the «Blue Boars». The squeals that came when each hit landed, the shattering of their bodies into countless polygons, the screams and shouts that came from behind him. He didn't dare turn, though, as he was holding off the bulk of the enemy force, and a distraction could mean death.

«Horizontal». «Slant». Screams.

Kirito's respiration became ragged.

«Vertical Arc». A two-hit skill tracing "V" in the air. The enemy dissolved.

Another boar charged at him.

«Slant». «Vertical». Guard! Counterattack!

Kirito's mind went blank.

It wasn't until the fighting had stopped for ten seconds that he realized that it was all over. Lowering his sword, he dropped to his knees in the dirt, staring straight ahead, panting.

In the upper left hand corner of his vision, he could see his HP bar. Red zone. Hovering at around 10%. He let out a shaky breath. Then, dreading what he would find, he slowly turned around.

Only one player was left, standing behind him, frozen in shock. Even while he was protecting them, one had died.

_One. Only one left._

_Three are dead. Gone._

The survivor moaned, then collapsed onto the ground. He mumbled something unintelligible, then fell silent. The expression on his face showed pure shock and despair. His HP bar was also in the red zone.

Kirito numbly fumbled at his temporary inventory, pulling out a potion. With shaky sips, he drank a little bit, then gagged. Putting down the bottle, he waited for his body to calm down a little more, then drank the rest of the concoction. His HP slowly started to regenerate, as the bottle fragmented in his hands.

Shuddering, he steeled himself, keeping his mind carefully blank, before spending another half-minute fishing a second potion bottle out. Stumbling over to the surviving player, he mumbled, "Here... drink... this."

He held out the potion. To his immense surprise, the player slapped it out of his hand, sending the bottle rolling into the undergrowth.

"Ah! ...what...?"

"You..."

The voice came out shaky as he looked up. The teen, perhaps around 17 years old, older than Kirito. His eyes were slightly unfocused, but there was some emotion in them that Kirito felt wary of.

"I...what...?" Kirito panted out.

"You... it's all... because of you..." Some unidentifiable tension could be heard in his voice.

One of Kirito's eyes narrowed. Propping himself up on his «Anneal Blade», he stayed silent, not completely understanding the situation.

"...they're all dead... all my friends... we..." The player groaned. "...you, it's all because of you! They're all dead..."

The reality of the situation came crashing down on Kirito, and he dropped to his knees, staring at the ground. He had been holding his thoughts back during and after the battle, but the words from the player in front of him tore away the veil he so desperately clutched.

_Three of them. They're dead. _

Kirito gasped, despair digging its claws into him.

_Dead. Gone._

"You... you..." The survivor wasn't done yet. "...you should have told us. That this area was so dangerous! You should have told us! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"

The last part was screamed out, echoes ringing throughout the clearing. They echoed the most, however, in Kirito's head. Resounding, repeating itself. Over and over.

"_IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"_

"We trusted you! We thought... you were supposed to help us! Help us get home! You... you...!"

There was a clanking sound. Kirito looked up with dead eyes; and he saw the guy had stood up unsteadily, sword in hand. His eyes were wild, wide and staring, a crazed glint in them.

"You should have warned us! You should have come sooner!"

Panting, he raised his arm. Kirito stared, uncomprehending.

"You... our trust... we pinned our hopes on you, beta tester, you were supposed to help! Look at what you've done! They're all DEAD!"

The man stared right into Kirito's eyes with the eyes of fate. A glare of pure _hatred_.

"You... you... _you filthy __**BETA TESTER**_!"

Words trailing off into a scream, he threw himself at Kirito. Now of all times, the sword glowed red, signalling the use of a «Sword Skill». Namely, «Vertical».

Instinctively, Kirito flicked his blade from the dirt and activated «Slant», drawing a backhanded arc in the air. The «Anneal Blade» smashed into the side of the «Basic Sword», instantly knocking it aside and depleting its durability. The weapon shattered, shards of steel spinning everywhere, cutting into both of their skins. Not a lot of HP was lost, however.

The player stumbled past Kirito, his momentum keeping him moving. Numbly, the man stared at the broken hilt in his hands, which lasted a few more seconds before dissipating into light. He dropped to his knees.

Both of them stayed like that, kneeling and facing opposite directions, for a good half-minute. Kirito's mind contained only one thing.

"_IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"_

_It's because of me... me... they're all... dead..._

A whisper, barely heard, could be heard from the man. Kirito's ears instinctively strained to hear the words.

"I hate you... you filthy... cheater. Disgusting... Beta tester. You.. you..."

The words stabbed at his heart like knives. Every one of them.

Then, he uttered the name that would plague Kirito for the rest of his life.

"_Beater_."

Kirito's heart stopped.

_All dead... because of me... a... a..._

_...Beater..._

"Kirito-kun!"

Kirito's head snapped up and around at the familiar voice. _Mane?_

There she was, at the edge of the clearing. Beside her, his silver hair streaming behind him as he ran, Sirius. Behind her, Klein. He could see the cursors of more people behind them too.

Klein's and Sirius' faces were hard, teeth gritted in determination.

Mane looked worried. Her arm was outstretched.

_Everyone..._

Two thoughts popped into his head.

"_You will protect everyone. I sure of it. I'm sure you can do it."_

"_IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"_

The memories galvanized him into action. He took one last glimpse of his friends. Mane, Sirius, Klein. Their faces, he preserved as memory.

And he ran. Kicking off the ground, he ran into the forest, away from everyone.

Back into solitude.

_The pride before the fall, _remarked the voice in his head.

* * *

The NPC hummed "_It's a small world after all_" as she gently laid the cover back on the pot. Shaking the excess droplets from the large wooden ladle she had used to stir the contents, the large spoon was returned to a rack hanging in the kitchen.

She gently picked up the bowl she had just filled, and carried it out of the room, past the grandfather clock. If Kirito listened, he could hear the sound of a door opening and closing.

But he wasn't listening. He had his head in his arms, which were crossed on the table. A full mug of water sat next to him.

His eyes felt raw when they were open. His throat was parched, yet he made no move to drink the water. His brain felt like mincemeat.

He had failed them. Everyone.

"_You will protect everyone. I sure of it. I'm sure you can do it."_

Mane had trusted him.

"_IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"_

He had failed her. Surely she hated him now.

He had caused three people to die. Because of his carelessness, his _pride_-

His fist clenched, his eyes screwed shut even tighter.

Kirito felt a tugging sensation in his throat, and pausing his thoughts, forced it down. Though he wouldn't have minded if he actually threw up.

If he stayed with other people, he would probably get them killed. One way or the other.

_It's for the best... for the best._

Back to solo. It was for the best. Back to being alone, Kirito all by himself.

Nobody to burden, nobody to be a burden, nobody to harm.

He raised his head, wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. He stared doubtfully at the opposite end of the table.

Back to being alone. A solo player.

_They're all dead because of you. You want Klein to die next? Sirius? Mane!?_

"I... I..." He sighed.

His head thunked back down on the table again.

_Sirius..._

He doesn't believe in you.

_Klein..._

He doesn't believe in you either.

_Mane..._

You've failed her. You'll fail her again.

…_very well..._

Kirito slowly stood up. If he was going to go solo again, he might as well start immediately. He pushed the chair behind him and turned to leave.

He was hit by a flying tackle and went down in a heap.

"Gck!" He grunted in surprise.

Stunned, he lay there for a few moments, then tilted his head up to see what the projectile was. "Wha-"

A girl, shoulder-length black hair. Features similar to his. Shivering, hugging him.

"-Mane?"

"Why did you run?"

Kirito looked up to see Sirius frowning at him, arms crossed.

"How... how did you find me?"

"Klein showed me this «Find Location» thing on his friends list. It told me you were here. Speaking of which, Klein says Hi. He has to take care of all the players, so he couldn't come, but he thanks you for your help."

"...my help?" Kirito asked hollowly. "I got three people killed."

"Three darn idiots killed, if I may say so myself. It's quite common sense to not wander off, yet they did. Complete imbeciles. Back to my question, why did you run?"

Kirito's mouth became drier than it had been before, if that was even possible. "I... I... I couldn't face you guys..."

Mane shifted, clutching Kirito tighter, and sniffed. He felt his heart clench as her grip on him tightened.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I... I failed you guys... you two trusted me. I got three people killed. You guys..."

Sirius stepped closer and knelt. "Four people. The last guy committed suicide. He wandered into a pack of boars unarmed."

"Oh." Kirito felt a cold hand close around his heart. "Great."

"And they're not your fault. Get your head straight, Kirito. It wasn't your fault."

"Not my fault? I was responsible. I was supposed to help them."

"You can't save fools, Kirito." Sirius pointed his finger at him. "It was out of your hands. Their choices were theirs to make. And that is why they died. You did your best, it had nothing to do with you."

"But-"

"Here." Sirius poked him in the face. "Why don't you call Klein right now?"

"Ah?"

"Call him. Private chat. Right now."

Kirito hesitated, then nodded slowly, using one hand to draw out the menu, his other arm still wrapped tightly around Mane.

The waiting message had only appeared for a second before Klein accepted on the other end. His face immediately popped up, bearing a wry smile.

"Kirito, you feeling okay?"

"Klein..."

"Listen, Kirito, it wasn't your fault. They were idiots, all of them."

"I... I..."

"Kirito." Klein became more serious. "It wasn't your fault. For the last time. I hope you understand."

"..." Kirito felt something loosen around his heart. Mane held him tighter.

"You're a good person, Kirito. I can see that. You tried your best to help, that's good enough." Klein smiled wistfully. "If only it didn't turn out like this."

Kirito did not reply at first, his silence speaking the words for him. He opened his mouth, then hesitated.

He sighed. "I only wanted to help... but..."

Klein's smile had a sad tinge to it. "It's alright, Kirito. You've done more than enough. Thank you."

"Klein..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say. "I..."

Klein suddenly stopped, hearing something, then turned to look at someone off-screen. A few seconds of quiet exchange passed before he turned back to the chat. "Hey, this kid here wants to say something to you."

He manipulated the window so it pointed slightly more down, showing a young boy. Kirito recognized him as one of the boys who had need more help with their «Sword Skills». He looked to be around fourteen, and small for his age.

The boy smiled.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you for giving me hope we can go back home."

Kirito numbly nodded. The boy looked up at Klein, who reoriented the screen to face him.

"Hey, wait!"

Klein looked sideways in surprise before being pushed over by several people. They all crowded the screen, shouting some form of thank you.

"Thanks for the help!"

"You're the best, man!"

"Don't be down!"

Kirito blinked, completely overwhelmed. He heard Klein shouting, "Oi! Oi! Let me back! You ruffians!"

It took a while for Klein to regain control of the chat screen. He sighed in relief. "These people are worse than my friends... ah well. So, Kirito." Klein raised an eyebrow. "Don't hate yourself."

Kirito finally unstuck his throat. "Klein..."

"You're a good man, Kirito. Don't ever forget that."

And with that, Klein closed the chat window. The silence felt deafening in his absence.

Kirito felt strange. He couldn't explain it, only that he felt... different.

Sirius spread his arms. "There you have it."

"Kirito-kun."

Mane's voice rose from where she held him. Kirito looked down.

She still had her face buried in his chest, and Kirito could tell by her sniffles, that she was crying. "Mane..."

"Kirito-kun... it wasn't your fault... please don't be like that..." She murmured, then clutched him harder. "You're a good person... I... I li... trust you..."

Kirito could feel his self control slipping. The first of his tears slid from his eyes.

Sirius manipulated his menu, tapping a certain option. The ever so faithful notice appeared.

|| Sirius would like to be your friend!

|| - Accept

|| - Decline

Kirito looked up at Sirius, his unspoken question voiced by his gaze. Sirius simply replied, "Because you're my friend, Kirito. I don't need any other reason."

A fresh wave of emotion overwhelmed him, and Kirito finally broke down, releasing his pent-up emotions. His tears flowed unchecked, and he sobbed uncontrollably into Mane's shoulder. She closed her eyes, and embraced him harder. It was her turn to comfort him.

Sirius averted his eyes somewhat awkwardly, watching the doorway. A silent sentinel in the darkness.

Kirito felt Mane shiver in his arms, and he instinctively clutched her tighter. She felt warm, so soft, that he felt at home in her arms. Enveloped in her arms, he felt... safe, secure, and for the first time in weeks... calm. Their embraces tightened, each seeking the comfort of the other's warmth.

Training, leveling, clearing this game - perhaps, they could all wait.

In this very moment, as he huddled in her embrace... the world could wait.

He closed his eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well, now that I look back on it, it was an incredibly dumb idea to use this and the previous one as _half_ chapters. Thank goodness they were split. Imagine that giant wall of text... (e.e)**

**So, whatcha all think? Poor Kirito. I was crying when I wrote this... character development always hurts.  
**

**Oh, yes, and a certain someone made a cameo in this chapter. Did you guys catch him/her? No hints on gender, btw.  
**

**New title!  
**

**School starts tomorrow. I'll probably have to take a week or so from writing to adjust back to school lifestyle. Hope you all had a wonderful winter break!  
**

**Review Answers  
**

**As always, constructive criticism is the kind of review I value the most. Helps me grow, see. Please take the time to fill one out, I would very much appreciate it!  
**

**I plan for all of the original cast to make appearances at some point in time, not completely sure yet.  
**

**Crafting certainly may be fun, I'll think on that for a while. Thanks for the suggestion.  
**

**Unique skills, eh... of course, Kirito will be gaining his signature «Dual Blades» sometime. But not now. Still 1st floor, mate!  
**

**Speculation, speculation. Guess all you want, but I'm not spoiling anything~  
**

* * *

**Special thanks to Rainbowlalaland and ToumaFF for beta'ing this chapter.  
**

* * *

**I, of course, do not own Sword Art Online. All canon characters and Aincrad belong to Kawahara Reki, whereas the OCs and the story itself belong to me.  
**


	6. Chapter 5: Concerto of Sword

The sky was endless, stretching as far as the eye could see and beyond. A few avians fluttered around, their calls tinny and quiet against the infinite backdrop of blue. Clouds hung weightless in the air in every size and shape imaginable. Gale winds buffeted this way and that, breezes with enormous force behind every blow.

In this sky, a gigantic bronze citadel. Vaguely conical, the castle floated in the sky, suspended as if by magic. The plating shined as natural light glanced off of it. As the clouds brushed against the metal skin of the stronghold, they dissipated as they made contact with the sun-heated material.

Perhaps, if one listened closely, they could only hear the birds calling, far off in the distance.

Somewhere in the massive structure, there was a room. A high, arched room that was as silent as a tomb. The serene darkness quietly shaded most of the area, shying away from the sole source of light: a skylight set high in the roof above.

In that solitary ray of light, one could observe a large, black stone tablet. The uneven shadows across the surface of the monument indicated words on it.

The entire tablet was covered with words. Neatly lined, neatly ordered. Ten thousand of them, of all lengths and meanings.

A small sound disturbed the gentle peace within the room. Slowly, smoothly, a chip of the tablet fell away. Dust crumbled as something was steadily carved into the block by unseen hands or tools. Almost inaudible, "scrtches" echoed in the elevated, curved dome of the room.

When the silence was complete again, there was a new line on the tablet, running through one of the words, as well as a short description next to it. It was not an irregular occurrence, as one might guess when viewing the tens upon hundreds of other lines and notes.

With that, not a sound could be heard. No movement could be sensed, as if the place had been frozen in history.

The time was 10:39, «Month of the Fir», year 2023, «Aincrad Standard Time». In reality, December 2022.

One month since the floating castle of Aincrad because the stage for a death game.

Over 2000 had died.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Concerto of Sword**

* * *

A large stone cylinder towered over the first floor of Aincrad, casting a long shadow that stretched a fourth of the way across the floor. An imposing structure, it rose high into the air, appearing to meld with the heavens. Of course, what it had really done was meld with the bottom of the second floor, which appeared to look like a clear blue sky.

That cylinder housed the labyrinth of the first floor, the first obstacle towards clearing the game. A multi-story dungeon full of puzzles, monsters, and traps. A white tower of death.

Close to the base of the cylinder, the town of «Tolbana» sat with it's signature windmills turning in the breeze. While only two hundred meters in diameter, and leaning towards the smaller side compared to other villages, it nevertheless was a hub of activity as being the main base for those venturing into the labyrinth.

Of course, being so close to the entryway to the first floor, the mobs that roamed around the area were considerably higher-leveled. Stronger than those around Starting City, «Wolves» prowled the area, sniffing around for their next meal. Their weak but quick attacks had a much higher chance to critical than that of the other mobs, due to the «Sharpness» value of their claws and teeth.

Much more dangerous, however, were the few «Ruin Kobold Troopers» that could be rarely seen next to the dungeon entrance. It was a humanoid, red-skinned lizard-man type of a monster, and was the first kind in the game that carried an actual weapon. In addition, it could utilize «Sword Skills», making it a formidable foe.

The first group of unlucky players who had faced one had been severely beaten, completely unused to dealing with a humanoid enemy. One of them had died holding back the monster so the others could escape. Right on cue, the «Monument of Life» in the «Black Iron Castle» recorded his heroic demise, with the inscription, **Monster: «Ruin Kobold Trooper»**, one of the first players to have died in a different way than **Suicide**.

However, as some people caught on and learned how to counter enemy «Sword Skills», either through the «Ruin Kobold Troopers» or through «Inner-Area Dueling», the danger the Troopers posed was greatly diminished, though still an enemy not to be underestimated.

They were armed with a variety of weapons, randomly selected when they respawned. The one Kirito was engaging right now attacked with a longsword. With a shrieking cry, the Trooper executed an overhand cut in what appeared to be the overhand «1-H Sword» skill «Helm Splitter».

Kirito swung his «Anneal Blade» instantly and parried the blow, knocking it off course. Adjusting his stance minimally, he lashed out in a backhanded «Horizontal», catching the off-guard «Ruin Kobold Trooper» in the chest area, dealing a large amount of damage.

Angrily, the lizard brought his sword to bear again, charging at him and attacking with a «Slant» attack. With ease, Kirito ducked underneath the blow and activated «Vertical», slicing upwards with the blade and killing the Trooper. The air rang with the sound of the explosion.

Without a pause to consider the exp and col he had earned, he whipped around and leaped at the wolves engaging Mane and Sirius. Steel flashed in the morning sun as the «Anneal Blade» flew into battle, chunking massive amounts of health from the «Wolf» mobs. While their offensive capabilities were quite substantial, «Wolves» had little to no defensive instincts or armaments at all.

The three of them made quick work of the group. Compared to the «Ruin Kobold Trooper» Kirito had fought earlier, the «Wolves» were a cakewalk. None of them had sustained more than 10% damage.

Letting out a pent-up breath, Kirito slotted the «Anneal Blade» into the sheath on his back. Turning away from the evaporating particles, he looked at both Mane and Sirius, his focus causing the system to show their cursors and health bars.

Mane holstered Historica on a sheath mounted on her belt. Some time ago, she had moved the sheath to her belt after claiming her back "itched" because of the scabbard. She unconsciously brushed the hair out of her face, then stretched. "Ahhhhh..."

Sirius calmly flicked a nonexistent speck of dirt off of his sword before returning it to his sheath. His silver hair shined brightly in the light, and he stared off into the distance before glancing back at the other two.

One month had passed since the start of this death game, Sword Art Online. One month had passed since they were all trapped in this unreal situation of doom. One month had passed since they were told, the only way to return to reality was to clear the game.

And in that month, only a few players had actually become serious about trying to clear the game. Perhaps around a hundred fifty to two hundred were active in the towering dungeon in front of them. The rest were huddled in Starting City, in fear, or out in the wilds alone.

Those who bravely explored the labyrinth were usually all around the level five to seven range. That in and of itself was a notable achievement, compared to the majority of the players, who still were level one, and due to the fact that they managed this without dying once. Someone at level eight would be admired by his comrades for being an exceptional player.

Kirito nonchalantly checked his screen, viewing his stats for the uptenth time. It was a small habit of his, ever since he had started to play MMORPGs.

_Level Nine, «Strength» twenty, «Agility» twenty, and «Vitality» five. Skills, let me see... «1-H Sword» 87, «Searching» 96..._

_And of course... Mane is the same. Perhaps «Skill Level» would be a little different... but mostly identical._

"Kirito-kun, I have enough «Wolf Claws» to enhance Historica now... with a success rate of 75%." Mane toted out, checking her inventory.

In response, Sirius pinched his thumb and index finger together and drew out the menu, tapping his item storage after in one fluid movement. He frowned thoughtfully, then said, "I have enough for a 95% enhancement on this «Anneal Blade». Shall we go back?"

Mane and Kirito each took a moment to think about it, then both nodded in confirmation. They had all spent the morning farming up a storm, anyways. Perhaps now would be a good time to take a break, enhance their weapons, and sell the excess.

Luckily, as Kirito didn't feel like slaying any more monsters at that point, no monsters showed up on the way back to the village, «Tolbana». Maybe other players had already cleared them out, maybe the RNG goddess was smiling upon them, but the trio made it back to the entrance of the town without incident.

The town was quite a bustling place; at least, it was more lively than Starting City, which currently was in a state of depression. At least here, this village was a gathering of hope, hope that the game could be cleared. That was why people were there.

«Tolbana», despite being small, was a veritable self-supporting town. It contained three inns, several bars and restaurants, a blacksmith, an apothecary, and the rest of the village consisted of NPC houses, many of which supplied quests with hefty rewards. The center of «Tolbana» was defined by its main plaza, known as «Fountain Square», a popular meeting place which also included an ampitheatre. In other words, the town was the perfect place for the maze clearers to use as a base.

As such, the streets were full of clearers going to and from the large cylinder in the distance. The air, however, was filled with a slightly tense atmosphere. The only sounds were of boots clanking on the hard stone walkways and the NPCs going about their daily business. The players never made a sound, kept their conversation to a minimum, or conversed in hushed voices.

Kirito relaxed as the small notice popped up in his vision, informing him he was arriving in «Tolbana» and that the town was under the protection of the «Area Protection Code».

Their arrival at the village was noticed, but not remarked on. Mane drew some attention, being an attractive young girl, but her two silent companions deterred any sort of move. Some eyed the sword at her hip; however, no comments were passed.

Another reason why the three drew eyes was because they were all wearing various shades of black and white, including their hair. Sirius and Kirito both wore black, while Mane's armor was customized white. Sirius' silver hair swung gently behind him, while Kirito and Mane's raven hair gleamed slightly in the light.

As it was noon, many of the clearers were heading back into town for their midday meal. Some snippets of conversation floated by, mostly about what kind of food the players wanted to eat. Kirito's stomach rumbled as well; he ruefully remembered the buttered bread he had eaten for breakfast. He could still taste its creamy goodness.

But, their goal, at least for now, wasn't lunch. He motioned for Mane and Sirius to follow, then detached himself from the crowd, heading towards the western side of the town.

The already vague sounds dimmed to nothing as they moved away from the bulk of the village's occupants. Sirius sighed, for no apparent reason, while Mane took Kirito's arm and leaned on his shoulder. Kirito glanced at her before returning his attention back to the path.

In the silence, their even breathing could be heard. Kirito walked the way they had traveled many times before, without any hesitation.

It was very likely that, in the month that had passed, they had become one of the highest leveled players in Aincrad. All three of them were at level nine, certainly higher than most of the clearers who showed off their level seven and eight status. Even in a game of life and death, some players never lost their gaming pride.

They usually traveled in companionable silence, allowing their actions to take the place of their words. Mane always spoke the most, always making sure their HP was safe, their armor wasn't crooked, their weapons ready. Always caring in her own childishly innocent way.

Sirius and Kirito, on the other hand, nearly never spoke a word, unless it was absolutely necessary. They preferred silent communication, always sharing thoughts with a glance, or trading congratulations with a fistbump. In a way, they mirrored each other, silent boys who knew each other well.

Sirius had only raised an eyebrow when had Kirito mentioned to him about Mane's memory loss. As if unsurprised, he proceeded to lecture Mane about the real world, describing things such as cars and electricity in great detail. She had always listened in rapt attention, eyes shining as the mind behind them dreamed in the land of imagination and words. After a while, Kirito also joined in.

Those were one of the only times they spoke for such a long time. Yet, by the end of it, they were all completely silent, as reminiscing about the real world was too painful for Kirito and Sirius. Mane had worn a wandering expression on her face, but she did see the longing the two boys had. She didn't ask for any more stories after that.

Kirito vaguely thought about that day as he stepped through the alley, then shook himself back down to earth as they emerged into a more open street on the west side of «Tolbana». He quickly searched his memory and guided them towards the small side street that housed the village blacksmith.

Once a player gathered the necessary items, which different in quality and quantity from weapon to weapon, they could bring them and the weapon to a blacksmith for «Weapon Enhancement» to power up their weapons with one of five attributes; «Sharpness», «Quickness», «Accuracy», «Heaviness», and «Durability». Durability was the only one not directly pertaining to combat as well as not counting towards the «Enhancement Limit», as it basically determined the «Life» of the weapon. The other four directly affected combat with said weapon and attempts were limited by the «Enhancement Limit».

Over the course of the month, all three of them had gathered enough reagents to enhance their weapons several times over. Kirito's «Anneal Blade» had already been enhanced to a +6. If he tapped on the weapon and selected its properties window, it would read: "Sharpness +3, Quickness +3". The blade therefore had a higher piercing potential as well as ease of swing. It was a superb weapon, considering that they were still on the first floor, as well as the fact that it still had four enhancement slots open, meaning it had never experienced a failed enhancement before.

Sirius' «Anneal Blade», which they were going to enhance, was currently at a +5 value, distributed into Accuracy +3 and Sharpness +2. Just like Kirito's, the blade had also never suffered failure. Sirius planned to place the last point into sharpness, and with luck, it would become an «Anneal Blade +6 (A3S3)».

Since it was pretty tiring for merchants to rattle out, "Accuracy plus three, quickness plus two..." over and over again, the unofficial abbreviation for weapon enhancements shortened each category to the first letter of its name, followed by the number of enhancements into said category. Thus, Kirito's weapon would be known as an «Anneal Blade +6 (S3Q3)».

Mane's weapon, Historica, had been a huge pain to upgrade. The requirements were outrageously high, with outrageously low success rates, probably to offset its unlimited potential. They had, luckily, managed to successfully enhance the darn thing four times, with one failure. The points were currently specced into +2 Heaviness and +2 Quickness, suggesting a light and speedy kind of weapon. In effect, «Historica +4 (Q2H2)». The intricate hilt shined in the noon light.

The chance of success was also determined by the «Blacksmithing» skill level of the blacksmith. Currently, in this kind of situation, almost nobody would be wasting time training up a skill that had no relation to active combat, and so player blacksmiths were out of the picture. That left the NPC blacksmiths in each village. The one residing in «Tolbana» was currently the only available one with the highest skill level, so it was to him Kirito looked to for weapon enhancement.

In fact, every upgrade for all three of their weapons had been done by that same blacksmith, the one they were visiting now. Kirito rounded the corner and there it was, situated in a normal-looking house. The only signs that it housed a blacksmith was the wooden plaque next to the door that bore a carved picture of a hammer and anvil, and the large chimney poking out of the roof of the house. Glancing behind him to make sure his companions were following, he pushed open the door and walked inside.

The living was simply but neatly furnished. He walked over to a door set in the side of the wall, and opened it into the main smithy. This room felt like an American garage in the real world; slightly low ceiling, no windows, light provided by candles, stone walls to prevent fires. Blacksmith tools were everywhere, and several racks along the side of the wall displayed newly-made swords, ready to be shipped to the town armory.

The blacksmith, a portly man with quite a large beard, gave the impression of a "dwarf" character. A hammer laid in his grasp, and he repeatedly brought it down, grunting every time, onto a red hot piece of metal lying on the anvil. Clangs rang throughout the room.

There was another player, a cloaked figure, in the room. Standing near the blacksmith and intently watching his work, the player glanced up as Kirito, Mane, and Sirius entered. The shadows cast by the fire in the forge flickered across his face for a moment; then the player glanced back down at the sword the blacksmith was working on, which Kirito presumed to belong to him.

Silently, Kirito and Sirius waited a certain distance away, respecting the other player's privacy. They watched the metal on the anvil get hit once, then twice, then the material shone a bright white, reshaping itself into a weapon. When the light faded, Kirito instantly recognized it as a «Rapier» type weapon, a sword more suited for thrusts and piercing attacks rather than slices, due to the fact that it's blade was duller, but the tip was keener. Kirito thought it might be an «Edge Foil», a relatively sturdy type of rapier that had, as it's name suggested, sharp edges as well as tip, making it a good all-around sword.

The player walked over and dropped a bag of coins into the blacksmith's open hand before accepting the «Edge Foil» from him. Sheathing it into a scabbard on his belt, the player turned to leave.

"Whoa, so cool!"

Mane's eyes were shining, her voice excited. Kirito gritted his teeth as he tried to hold her back, but she tore herself from his grip and rushed over to the other player, who had frozen in shock.

Kirito remembered this had been the first time Mane had seen a weapon be forged. When enhancement was successful, the weapon simply glowed a soft color before fading. Perhaps she had a right to be excited.

But invading another person's privacy was a big no-no. Kirito sighed and watched as Mane started waving her arms energetically, babbling about how cool the new weapon looked. The cloaked player stood stunned, completely confused.

"Hey, can I watch you use that sword? It looks really neat. I bet you'll look really pretty!"

Kirito had quickly learned not to cross Mane when she wanted something or felt excited. Last time he had declined Mane a second helping of food, saying that she was eating too much. Oh boy, he had nightmares for days after that.

He grimaced at the memory. Glancing at Sirius, who shrugged with a helpless expression on his face, Kirito sighed. There was nothing they could do...

Approaching Mane and the cloaked player, he rubbed his head and apologized. "Sorry man... Um, could you just go along with her for a while? ...There's nothing we can do." He grimly smiled.

The player looked up, enough for the dim light to reveal his... no, her face. Kirito blinked as he realized that he was a _she_. Egg-shaped head, chestnut hair parted to either side. The hair looked to be quite long, disappearing into the folds of her cloak.

What Kirito noticed, though, were the eyes. A light brown, perhaps hazelnut. But what was important was the light in them; or, rather, the absence thereof. Eyes without light, without life.

Mane tilted her head, also noticing the eyes.

"O, hi, you're a girl! …ehh, what's wrong?"

An awkward silence fell on the room. Sirius' eyes narrowed as he noticed the lifeless orbs as well. He stepped a few paces forward, next to Kirito, and glared at her warily.

Mane reached up and suddenly pushed the hood off, startling the girl into stepping back. Her hair swished gently with the movement, and her eyes widened. Though, the darkness in them didn't change.

"_She's pretty! ...But... she looks... empty."_

Mane's voice echoed to Kirito within the confines of his mind. Out loud, Mane squealed, "You're so cute!"

Kirito had gotten used to these brief moments of clarity by now, but he still wondered how they had come about. He was beginning to think that he was actually hearing Mane's thoughts. In addition, he suspected they weren't random occurrences.

He concentrated on the girl.

_She... does look hollow..._

The deadpan expression, replacing the slight shock the girl had worn when her hood had been removed, and the fell orbs that hung in it. She simply looked dumbly at Mane, who was busy examining her features with a shining eye.

_I've seen these eyes before..._

On every single player in Starting City. On some of the those clearing the dungeon. And most importantly... on the face of the silver-haired boy beside him.

_Those are the eyes..._

"_Of someone who has given up."_

Completing his thought, Mane's voice felt sorrowful. He glanced at her, her face holding a tinge of confusion as she stared into the girl's eyes, under the guise of examining her eye color.

"_Her eyes have no hope." _Mane thought.

Kirito focused more closely on the girl, bringing out the HP bar and cursor. Of course, the cursor was a green color, denoting her as a player.

What was curious, however, was the level of her HP bar. A sickly yellow, almost hitting the red zone. Hovering at around 30%.

While damage was prevented in the presence of the «Area Protection Code», pre-sustained damage was still kept even as the player entered the protected boundaries. Players naturally regenerated health just as bodies in real life healed themselves over time, but at an extremely slow pace. Resting at an inn would restore a player's health to full by the time they woke up, and of course, potions also healed the player.

This girl's HP was still at thirty percent, an area considered "extremely dangerous" by most players. Actually, people called it "borderline suicidal" to walk around with such low health. She should have immediately went to an inn or healed herself up with potions...

The cloak, he noted, was almost completely tattered below the waist, signalling a large loss in «Durability». If it had deteriorated over by time, the cloak would have been worn. This cloak had been sliced, several strips of cloth fluttering with the movement, which showed this girl had been in combat for a pretty long time, and that she had taken some pretty dangerous hits, if the positions of the tears were anything to judge by.

"...are you okay?" asked Kirito.

The girl looked at him. "What...?"

Her voice was barely audible, soft as if she hadn't used it since the game had started.

"Your HP is in the danger zone, and your cloak looks to be highly worn out. Your eyes look as if you've given up."

The girl finally appeared to shake off her reverie, and sighed. "So?"

"...you should replenish your hit points. You could die if you went into the dungeon like that.

"So what?"

Kirito and Mane both blinked. Sirius slowly let out a breath through his nose.

"...dying? Loss of life? Eternal oblivion? Um, I think it's best if you try to avoid that."

"We'll all die in the end anyways." The girl shrugged Mane off. "The only difference is time."

Kirito had never seen this kind of mentality before. Half the people who had died so far had jumped off the edge of Aincrad, committing suicide, but that was with the hope of returning to reality. Those who died to monsters without proper information wanted to clear the game, also with the goal of going home.

He hadn't actually met someone who just didn't care about their life.

"One month has passed... Two thousand are dead." She continued with that dead tone of hers. "The first floor has not been completed. It's impossible. You're all fools to think we have a chance."

Mane had fallen silent, staring at her with an unreadable expression. Kirito inwardly grimaced.

"It's only a matter of the present or the future. Everyone is going to die."

"You're wrong."

Sirius stepped forward. Kirito looked dumbly at him, but the silver-haired boy ignored it, staring with hard eyes at the girl.

"So you're saying we should all just go kill ourselves, because we're going to die anyways." Sirius said through gritted teeth.

"...we have no hope. It's all useless. Unnecessary."

Sirius walked up to her and quietly stood there. Icy calm radiated from his being. Kirito and Mane shivered.

"No hope." Sirius hissed almost inaudibly. "Useless. Unnecessary? What is life to you?"

The girl stayed silent.

"We should just throw away our lives, eh? Well, then, why are you buying another weapon? Shouldn't you just be one of those people who just... jump?"

She slowly opened her mouth, paused for a moment, then whispered, "I... I'm going to die. I know that... I don't want to be useless. I'll... kill as many of them as I can before that happens."

"Death is certain, eh. Maybe that's true for you, a person with no hope." Sirius turned. "I'm not going to die. I'll fight for my freedom."

He walked over to the blacksmith, halted, then sighed without turning around. "Do what you want."

Sirius silently motioned for the blacksmith to enhance his «Anneal Blade», pulling out the reagents in one big bag and setting them onto the anvil while murmuring, "Sharpness". The blacksmith nodded and reached out to the forge in the corner of the room, tapping it and setting the enhancement property to the requested attribute, before taking the bag from the anvil and tossing it into the forge along with Sirius' blade, shutting the door after it.

The girl still stood in the middle of the room, appearing slightly shell-shocked. Mane gently poked her, with no response. She gently tugged her to the side of the room. Kirito watched them for a moment, then sighed.

_This may be my fault..._

Large rings resounded through the air as the blacksmith brought his hammer down upon the glowing blade. _Smash, smash, smash_ clanged in Kirito's ears. The hammer blows lasted for some measure of time, before the «Anneal Blade» flashed once.

Kirito watched carefully as the weapon settled, then determined it to be a success. Sirius accepted the sword and dropped a pouch of col into the blacksmith's hand before sheathing the sword on his back. He glumly nodded to Kirito and Mane, who got up to enhance Historica.

The black-haired swordsman walked over and sat down next to the girl, albeit some distance away. He glanced over at her, watching her watch the floor.

Sirius' shadow, cast by the flames in the furnace, loomed over her as he stood in front of her. She looked up, with the same dead eyes.

He asked softly, "Why don't you believe we can do it?"

The girl didn't respond, silent for a good few seconds. It was plain in the air that her answer was, "I don't know."

Sirius sighed again, then murmured, "If you're just going to go just throw your life away... no, don't. Life is... a very precious thing. A friend of mine taught me that..."

There was a flash from behind them, and they turned to look at a triumphant Mane holding up her «Historica +5 (Q3H2)». With a rasp of steel, she slotted it into the scabbard on her belt, then paid the blacksmith. The man humbly received the money and went back to his work.

Walking over to them, Mane clapped her hands together happily. "Yay! It worked!"

Kirito half-smiled. "Congrats, Mane." _Uh, I'm hungry..._

"_I'm hungry."_

Suddenly, both he and Mane's stomachs rumbled. They glanced at each other for a moment, before Mane sheepishly rubbed her head. "Um... Kirito-kun, can we eat?"

"_Pleaaaase?" _

"Uh, sure... Sirius?"

"It's alright. I'm fine either way" Sirius quietly said, not taking his eyes away from the girl, who sat awkwardly on the bench beside the wall. "..."

He whirled around and stomped out the door. Kirito looked between the two for a second, then bit his lip and followed Sirius out.

Kirito squinted as the light from outside shined into his face, temporarily blinded after the serene darkness of the blacksmith's shop. Sirius was waiting for him, leaning against a wall, staring at the floor.

"Sirius?"

Sirius didn't respond at first. Then, quietly: "That girl. She reminds me of So... back then."

Kirito tilted his head.

"Makoto. One of my friends. He never gave up. He always told us never to give up. And she really reminds me of..." He shook his head. "I wonder, if I could... maybe have done more." Sirius lapsed into silence.

Kirito awkwardly hung there, not knowing what to do. Comforting others wasn't one of his strong points. He hesitated.

"She'll be fine... I think, I can tell she's pretty strong, to have gathered enough materials to forge an «Edge Foil»… Everyone will be freed. Don't worry. The game... the game will be cleared. I promise."

It wasn't a well thought out response. Kirito winced at his dismal social skills.

Yet, it seemed to help. The corner of Sirius' mouth twitched upwards. "Well, then, she'll be okay... I hope. The game shall be cleared?"

"I... yes."

There was a scuffling sound behind him, and Kirito turned to see Mane tugging the girl along with her out of the blacksmith's house. An awkward expression lay on the girl's face.

"Kirito-kun!" Mane dragged the girl up to him. "Can we eat lunch together?"

"Uh, what?" Kirito vaguely responded as he watched the girl struggle futilely to free herself from Mane's iron grip. At the sight of the girl, Sirius had assumed his usual blank expression and raised an eyebrow.

"Can she come along with us? To eat." Mane's smile turned slightly upset. "She hasn't eaten in two days."

"What!?" Kirito looked at her incredulously. Sirius' eyes glinted strangely. "Two days!? What…?"

"I'll buy her some food. I want her to eat." Mane turned and glared at the girl. "You should trust life more."

The girl opened her mouth indignantly as if to say something, hesitated, then apparently decided against it. She looked down at the ground.

Now that Kirito knew she hadn't eaten for such a long time, she looked a lot thinner in his eyes. Perhaps it was just the knowledge influencing his vision, but she looked... unhealthy.

And a lot sadder.

Mane watched her for a moment before turning back to Kirito. "Let's go eat."

"Ah... uh, okay. Sirius?"

Sirius looked away and walked off. "Let's go. I'm hungry too."

* * *

Mane tore into her loaf of bread with gusto, munching loudly on her mouthful of virtual wheat as she eyed the rest of her meal with an evil eye. Flecks of food fell to the pavement before evaporating.

Sirius gently picked at his bread, quietly chewing as he glanced, from time to time, at the girl sitting next to him. Her long chestnut hair was now hidden by the hood she had pulled back up, and she silently held the loaf in front of her, taking small bites now and then.

Kirito idly tapped a jar next to him, causing a small translucent bubble to appear on his finger, which signified «Target selection mode». He moved his finger across the bread in his hand, and a thick layer of cream spread itself onto the food. He sniffed the loaf for a moment, instinctively wiping his finger on his jacket, then took a large bite.

The four of them were sitting outside the «Fountain Square» area of «Tolbana», consuming their lunches in various ways. This day, Mane felt like eating bread and they all usually ate the same thing, so they all bought some.

Several other late eaters also lounged around, munching on various foods, but the area was mostly deserted. Perhaps some players went back to their inn rooms to rest, or off to do some quick training before the meeting in the afternoon.

Kirito glanced over at the girl, before picking up the jar of cream and placing it next to her. She looked at him questioningly; he gestured, _use it as you wish_. She extended her arm, hesitated, then tapped the pot, causing the selection bubble to appear on her finger. Tapping again caused the cream to appear on her bread. She flinched, surprised, then took a tentative bite.

In less than half a minute the bread was gone. The girl blinked several times, apparently coming back to her senses, then looked embarrassed. She bowed her head and stared at the ground. Mane, sitting next to him, watched her with great interest.

Kirito glanced over at Mane and Sirius, who were brushing the crumbs from their faces. Suddenly conscious of him being the only one who hadn't finished yet, he ducked his head and quickly started munching on his loaf. The creamy taste spread itself throughout his mouth, courtesy of the «Taste Reproduction Engine», and Kirito temporarily lost himself in the sensation.

He vaguely slipped into a memory of a week before, the three of them eating the same cream bread they were munching on in the present. Mane just eating without a care in the world, the two boys having a staring contest while munching on their meals. It had been a fun day.

"Fwaaaahhh!" Mane stretched luxuriously, drawing all of their attentions. "Yummy. Do you feel better?"

The last part was directed at the girl. She froze for a moment as her brain registered that she was being spoken to, then looked shyly away.

"I... it tasted good."

"Of course it does! Cream is yummy! You haven't eaten in two days either." Mane looked disapprovingly at the girl. "You still look hungry. Should eat more. Come on, I'll get you some."

Mane tugged at the girl's cloak, trying to unseat her. Yet, the girl pulled back with just as much force.

"Wait, I, wait..!"

"Come on! You need to eat more! Food is good for you."

The girl struggled harder. "No, I, it's okay, I, I don't want-"

"Of course you do! I don't care what you think, you need to eat more. Eat more so you're happy."

"I don't want to feel better. I didn't come here to eat..."

Kirito paused, the last bit of bread still in his hand. Sirius looked away.

Mane tilted her head, surprised. Then concerned, she lay a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hmh?"

The cloaked one hesitated, then closed her eyes.

"I... I will die. I'm here to kill, kill monsters. I don't want to die useless. I don't want to... lose... to this game. I'm not going to die in fear."

The words spilled out as if they had been bottled up for a long time. Kirito felt slightly amazed she had even decided to talk about it.

Mane looked childishly thoughtful for a moment. "So? You're still alive, right? You gotta eat something. Come on, I'll get you some more food."

"No!" The girl shook her head. "I-I don't want to... I'm going to die. I..."

Mane shrugged indifferently. "Well, don't die now, die later. Come on, there's this rice I really like I wanna show you."

Helpless, the girl was inevitably dragged off the bench. She looked to the two boys pleadingly for assistance, but they gave her looks that silently conveyed, _"We can't do jack."_

They watched as she reluctantly gave up and sullenly listened as Mane cheerfully explained how delicious the rice was, then moving on to another one of the food stalls, and explaining that one too. Kirito wryly smiled as Mane took a bowl of rice and forced the spoon into the girl's mouth.

"Mane sure looks energetic." Sirius commented.

Kirito observed them for a while more before turning back to Sirius. "Meeting's in around half an hour."

"Yeah." Sirius stood up, shifted his belt and scratched the back of his head. "Though, we still have time. Relax a bit."

"But we should be getting ready... it is the first boss fight after all..."

"Take your time, we still have thirty minutes. Let Mane have her fun." A pause. "Actually, she can help that girl... not be so... you know."

"Maybe." Kirito looked over at the two girls. Surprisingly, the cloaked girl was busy chewing on her rice, listening to Mane as she talked energetically to her. Her hands were waving to emphasize her words.

Mane always had that gift of making people relax. Probably, it was that childish innocence she always had, as a result of losing her memory... it was probably just the way she was. She never failed to calm Kirito down when he was agitated. Maybe she could help the girl, in her own way, too.

"Just relax, Kirito. You're too hasty." Sirius sat back down and leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "We still have time. You never take a break. Don't be so tense. Let Mane help her... get better."

Kirito looked over at the silver-haired boy, who apparently had already fallen into a light slumber. He wondered for a while about Sirius' last statement. With a sigh, he got up. Perhaps a walk wouldn't be amiss.

The square was designed as a small rectangular park with a large roman-styled fountain as its centerpiece. The fountain gently gave off a _shhhhh_ sound as the water fell from the center dish into the basin below. It was surrounded by a small patch of grass, square in shape, and then a brick walkway. Several trees and bushes grew on the grass, their leaves swaying in the wind.

At night, the lamps along the side of the square would be lit, and the fountain itself would let off an ethereal light. The soft yellow glow from the lamps gave off a calming feeling together with the white luster from the fountain.

But now, it was a little past noon, and the sunlight blazed down from the ceiling above. Kirito paced around the edge of the square, watching several players emerge from one alley and head down another. They talked in hushed voices, as if afraid to make any larger sounds.

Like the plaza in Starting City, «Tolbana's» «Fountain Square» was the center of the village, the main junction with passages spreading off in either direction. To the North, inns. The South, the road back to Starting City. The East, several houses that contained quest-giving NPCs. The West, shops and services. Players passed through the area if they had to go to anywhere in «Tolbana».

The minutes ticked by as Kirito wandered around, watching all four entrances with his enhanced senses stemming from his «Searching» skill. As time passed, several players walked into the square and headed towards the ampitheatre on the Southeast corner of the area.

He noticed Mane walking towards with a large smile on her face, the girl following behind her. Maybe it was only his imagination, but he felt she looked more normal. At least, she didn't look hollow anymore.

"I'm full." Mane proclaimed as she drew closer to Kirito. "She is too. Did you know she likes fish?"

The girl blushed and looked away. Kirito smiled slightly, a little heartened to see her acting a little bit more normal.

Then a voice said from behind him, "No, I didn't know that."

Kirito started and whirled around, hand flying to the sword on his back, before realizing it was Sirius behind him. He straightened and ruefully scratched his head.

_I got distracted... tch, that could be dangerous outside of the «Area Protection Code»._

Sirius shook his arm, getting his virtual blood flow going after his nap. "I set an alarm to five minutes before the meeting time. Let's go."

"...meeting?"

The girl looked questioningly at them. "What meeting?"

Sirius abruptly flung out his arm, stopping Kirito from explaining. Kirito froze, mouth still awkwardly hung open, before stepping hastily back.

"...?" Mane tilted her head. The cloaked girl blinked several times.

There was a frosty silence as Sirius stared into the girl's eyes, as if his eyes were scanners and analyzing her down to every last data particle.

He finally growled with narrowed eyes, "This meeting is not for those who have no hope."

The only noise came from the footsteps of another group of players heading towards the amphitheatre. The girl didn't move or make a sound.

"If you don't value your life, don't come with us." Sirius gritted his teeth. "I won't let you."

"Sirius?" Mane tentatively asked.

"Shush, Mane." Sirius turned back to the girl. "This meeting is for organizing the first Boss Fight. Apparently this party found the boss room already."

The girl's eyes widened.

"We are going to try and clear the game... this is not for people who don't have any hope. Like you. If you still think we're all going to die, go... don't follow us. Go away."

Kirito and Mane blinked in unison.

_Go away?_

"_That's mean!"_

Sirius hesitated, then tacked on, "Go... somewhere safe. Don't die. I don't want to see you to die."

_...uh, what?_

"_...?"_

The girl opened her mouth, then closed it. It was surprising, really; Sirius had never really shown any form of care to her at all.

With a gigantic sigh, he turned away. "Leave if you don't believe we can. If you do..."

His voice trailed off, the silver haired boy and the girl staring hard at each other. Something invisible passed between them, and Sirius walked into the amphitheater. The girl looked down at the ground, apparently thinking hard.

Mane stepped forward and placed her arm around the girl's shoulders, causing her to look up. They exchanged some quiet words, ending with Mane patting her on the back and nodding. The girls shared a quiet moment, making Kirito feel slightly awkward, then Mane got up and trotted back to him.

"She'll be alright." Mane reassured Kirito once she reached him. "Come, let's go in."

"Are you sure?" Kirito tried to look back, but Mane caught his head with her hand. She looked into his eyes.

"She's fine." Mane smiled sadly, steering Kirito towards the amphitheater. "She just needs to think for a little bit."

Kirito hesitated, then relented. "Ah... um, if you say so."

If Mane was confident, perhaps it would be okay. Though, he could feel the girl's eyes on him as he walked through the white marble columns.

* * *

«Tolbana's» auditorium was open to the air, a half-circle pit with benches elevated along the edges at different heights, like a sports stadium. Several stairways provided access to the seating and the bottom of the pit, where a raised platform for the orator resided. An old wall made up the back of the coliseum, overgrown in some places with vines and webbed with cracks in others. Two doors leading to stairs on either side at the bottom allowed easy exit and access from the pit.

The entire area was constructed from sandstone, the light beige color gleaming softly under the light. A soft murmur filled the air, coming from the multitude of people sitting on the bleachers. Players sat in small, clustered groups, quietly conversing with each other. The atmosphere was slightly tense, with hushed voices and isolated groups, as everyone here knew the importance of this meeting.

The wind rustled as Kirito stepped down the stairs, heading for the bench where he could see Sirius sitting on. The boy had his head in his hands, completely silent, sitting apart from everyone else.

Kirito sat down heavily beside him, letting out a large breath as he did so. Mane stretched for a moment, then dropped down as well. Sirius looked up for a moment, before returning his stare to the floor.

"Sirius, what's wrong?"

The boy stayed silent. Mane yawned loudly, drawing several looks, before latching on to Kirito's shoulder.

Finally: "Nothing."

Kirito frowned, but understood from his tone and body language that Sirius did not want to talk at the moment. He looked up, scanning the crowd.

Perhaps around thirty to forty-five people had joined the meeting, Kirito estimated at first glance. Most of them were together in groups of five to six, clustered in isolated islands, sitting close together but far apart from other groups. Kirito closely scrutinized each person, looking for the red hair, bandanna, and scruffy beard... nowhere to be found.

Sirius' voice suddenly echoed up, drawing Kirito's attention. "She reminds me of Soichi."

"Huh?"

"That girl... the one just now. Long brown hair. She reminds me of Soichi."

Kirito shared a look with Mane. Evidently, she was thinking the same thing.

_Soichi? Who was that?_

"_Soichi... I think, one... frien..."_

The moment Mane tried guess, her voice faded away. Though, Kirito caught the gist of it.

Kirito took a moment to wonder, as he had many times before, why they could hear each other's thoughts from time to time. He was beginning to think it wasn't a random occurrence. Was there a pattern?

_Maybe..._ Kirito guessed. _...I can only hear her... when we think the same thing...?_

He shook his head, bringing his thoughts back down to the reality.

"Soichi was one of your friends, wasn't she? Sirius?"

Sirius shuddered visibly for a moment, then his muscles relaxed somewhat. "Yes."

Kirito stopped, suddenly not knowing what to say. Mane stayed expectantly silent.

The boy with his head in his hands finally murmured, "Soichi... they look really similar. She was the most enthusiastic out of all of us. To clear the game. Even after she cried after the tutorial. And... I see her, completely hopeless..." He sighed. "I just feel bad. Don't mind me. It will pass..."

Even more so than before, Kirito was completely at loss of words. Even Mane didn't have anything to say.

There was a tap on his shoulder, and Kirito jumped, startling Mane and alerting Sirius. All three of them turned their heads in unison.

"Hello, Kirito. Mane. Sirius."

The red-armored player standing behind them maintained his stern expression as his plate armor flashed, reflecting the sun's rays. His neatly combed back hair twitched lightly in the breeze, several solitary strands swinging back and forth with his movement.

Kirito neutrally replied, "Heathcliff", while Mane yawned loudly. Sirius turned around in his seat and straightened as the depressing air around them evaporated.

The beta player Kirito and Mane had partied with before smiled wryly at their reactions. Since then, they had met only occasionally, oftentimes completing the same quest simultaneously, unplanned. While their efficiency almost quintupled, completing quests in the quarter of a time it would have taken alone, Kirito never really felt at ease around the crimson paladin. It seemed the feeling was mutual, as there were no comments as their party disbanded afterwards.

Nevertheless, their relationship was friendly. Heathcliff had especially taken to Sirius, and the two actually opened their mouths and discussed things whenever they met, which was a little out of character for both of them.

Heathcliff slowly sat down. The sword on his back clanked against his steel plate armor as he laid the large tower shield he carried next to him. "You are here for the boss fight?"

"Yes." Kirito nodded. "I assume you are as well?"

Heathcliff opened and clenched his hand, a minor exercise. "Correct. If I remember correctly... «Illfang the Kobold Lord» is the boss."

Kirito thought for a moment before acknowledging the statement. Heathcliff nodded once again, which seemed to be his primary form of communication. Then he turned to Mane. "Hello, Mane, Sirius. How have you two been?"

Mane began prattling on about how she had successfully enhanced Historica at noon, while Sirius, who had apparently banished the thoughts of the girl to the back of his mind, and Heathcliff listened closely. She waved her arms around, emphasizing each and every word with that childish enthusiasm of hers.

_"Take care of Mane. You two are more alike than you think... you rely on each other more than you think."_

The memory suddenly popped to the forefront of Kirito's mind. He thought about the strangeness Heathcliff had displayed. It was a big reason Kirito could not relax around Heathcliff. It was like he had turned into something else.

But it had never happened again since that day. Always the stern, strong paladin. No sinister aura or tone. None of that scary glare... just Heathcliff. Kirito shook his noggin and pushed the memory to the back of his mind. Maybe he had just imagined that.

Kirito's eyes refocused on the three people in front of him. Mane was excitedly describing her meal with a faraway look in his eyes. Sirius and Heathcliff were ignoring her and talking seriously about stats and levels. The red paladin nodded several times while listening.

As Kirito stared at them more, the system registered his interest and the cursors and HP bars all popped out. All of them were full, at 100%, full health. All of the cursors were green, showing they were all players.

_Perhaps I really did just imagine that..._

"Kirito-kun?"

Kirito blinked. Mane had turned back around, pouting slightly. "They won't listen to me."

He had to smile at that. "Well, Mane... I think it's because they aren't as interested in food as you are."

"That's not possible! Food is the greatest thing in Aincrad! So many different flavors, the feeling in your mouth, it's the best thing ever! You know, the taste..."

And in the end, Kirito had to feign listening with a tired expression as Mane heaped a tirade about how wonderful the world of cuisine was upon him. A detailed description of every form of food that could be found in a first floor NPC stall.

"_...delicious, with a light flavorful taste that stays in your mouth..."_

Kirito felt like he was suffocating.

"_...chewy and juicy, makes me happy and also-"_

Then Mane abruptly stopped, causing Kirito to snap out of his reverie. He looked at her curiously, and she smiled slightly, pointing behind him.

He turned to see the cloaked girl from before awkwardly stepping down the steps into the stadium. Her eyes scanned the stadium, lighting upon Kirito and Mane, the latter of which waving at her. She stumbled down the stairs before sitting on the row of seats behind the trio, on the same level as Heathcliff. She scooched along the bench until she sat behind Sirius.

Sirius broke off his conversation and watched the girl with a completely blank expression. Kirito couldn't read his emotions at all. Heathcliff shifted aside for the moment and observed the proceedings with his never ending calm.

The girl wasted no time idling awkwardly and said to Sirius, "I want to help."

Sirius responded, a drop of sarcasm dripping from his tone, "By dying?"

"No." She paused, then jumped as Mane laid her hand on her shoulder. Blinking several times, she hesitantly continued, "I... if the game really can be cleared, then I think, maybe, I... could-"

"Enough." Sirius' hand shot out in a _Stop_ gesture as he squeezed his eyes shut. "I only want to know one thing. Do you believe the game can be cleared, or are you still completely hopeless?"

"...I think, maybe it... maybe. Just perhaps."

Sirius didn't move for a few seconds, arm still outstretched and eyes still closed. Then with another one of his trademark sighs, he dropped his arm. "That's good enough... I suppose."

Suddenly, the low murmur of voices around them ceased, causing all five of them to look towards the podium at the bottom of the pit. A blue haired player, wearing moderately high-leveled equipment, was walking towards the center podium. Another five emerged from a side door and sat down on the closest benches.

Presumably that party of six was the group who had organized this meeting. Kirito checked the chronometer in the bottom right hand corner of his vision: 2:00 PM. Right on schedule.

"_Well, it looks like the meeting is starting." _Mane's voice appeared in his head.

Without looking at her, he simply thought an affirmative, before concentrating on the player who was busy adjusting his equipment on the podium. Blue hair, as mentioned before. A single large sword was sheathed in a scabbard mounted on his waist. In one hand, he held a kite shield inscribed with a simple cross design. His armor looked far lighter than that Heathcliff wore, yet still quite heavy.

Kirito had seen the man before several times, once in a chance meeting out on the open field, and a few encounters in the first floor's dungeon. He was quite a strong player, and leader apparently, guiding his party with ease through the first floor.

For some reason though, Mane didn't like him all that much. He glanced at her; she was sitting with her head perched on her hand, staring at the blue haired player below with an expression of unfathomable boredom.

Noticing his look, Mane looked back up at him questioningly. Kirito shrugged in reply.

"Ah... everyone, please look this way, over here! I thank you all for coming to this meeting!"

The player's voice rang out loud and clear through the silence pervading the amphitheater. Judging by the youthful tone and pitch, he could be around seventeen years of age? Twenty at most.

The call did do it's intended purpose, drawing everyone's attention. What little chatter there had been faded away. The player waited a moment for all eyes to focus on him, then continued.

"Once again, thank you all for coming! Perhaps some of you know me, and perhaps some of you don't. In any case, my name is Diabel, and I am of the «Knight» class!"

There was a large amount of tittering among the audience at this. Some people sniggered at this, and some others cheered. One player sitting on a lower level, near the pit, called, "You mean you're a «Hero», right?"

Sword Art Online was a skill-based MMORPG game. «Class Titles» were not defined in any way in Aincrad. One could call themselves by a title of a tradeskill if they were at a high enough level in it, but nothing was definitive like in other RPG games, where an avatar had to choose their class.

In other words, Diabel's claim to be a «Knight» was not an official system-approved title. His appearance did give some backing to his claim, however, with his shiny plate armor and armaments. With his young, handsome features, he looked ever the gallant, honorable «Knight».

Not to Mane, however. She rebelliously stuck out her tongue. Kirito hurriedly moved to cover her mouth, whispering, "Stop it!"

"Well, it is up to oneself to decide what they should be called. *Ahem* Anyways, most of you should know the reason I have called you all here to «Tolbana» today. If you do not, then now, yesterday, my party and I discovered the stairs leading up to the 20th floor, and therefore the boss room."

This was already known to Kirito, but he still nevertheless felt slightly amazed. Every dungeon on Aincrad had twenty floors, and Kirito had no idea the 19th floor of the tower had already been completely mapped out. He had still been grinding exp in a nice part of the labyrinth on the 8th floor.

But still, all of his friends already knew this. Sirius and Heathcliff were unchanging, Mane was quietly snoring on Kirito's shoulder, but the cloaked girl behind them gave a start of surprise.

"One month has passed, my friends... one month." Diabel's tone turned somber. "There are thousands who still lock themselves into Starting City. They need hope. We need to give them hope, show them that the game can be cleared."

Diabel certainly was a skilled orator. He held the listeners at rapt attention, kindling the fires burning in their hearts.

"We have to show them. And tomorrow morning, if you all agree, we shall quickly find and take on the boss of the first floor. Defeat the boss, and open up passage to the second level." Diablo punched the air with his free hand. "That is our charge. As the strongest players here, we are obligated to lead the way!"

The seated players cheered, and a whole symphony of applause rang up. Whistles and wolf calls sprung up here and there among the audience. An approving air rose from the audience.

Kirito was politely clapping at a rhythmic pace, allowing exactly a half second to pass between each clap. Interestingly enough, Sirius was doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. They paused to look at each other, Kirito sniggering and the corner of Sirius' mouth twitching upwards.

Mane's eyes blinked open as she was roused by the movement of Kirito's shoulder. She grumbled quietly, "Is it over yet?"

"Almost." Kirito absently replied.

The tumult finally reached its peak, and Diabel raised his hands to calm the audience. With a determined smile, he waited for the players to settle down, then continued to speak.

"Now, since we have the time and will, shall we conduct the strategy meeting? I have here-"

"Hold on just a moment, Diabel-san."

"Huh?" Diabel blinked in surprise.

The man who had spoken stood up and jumped over the seats in front of him, quickly traversing the distance and landing on the bottom floor. With a grunt, he climbed up upon the podium.

A short, stocky male player with a strange cactus-shaped hairstyle. Judging by the distance he had traveled with each leap, he appeared to have a lot of his stats specced into «Strength». He wore a vest of low-grade scale mail over a leather shirt, with a large 1-H broadsword slung on his back.

When he spoke, his voice came out gravely and coarse, low and deep. On the opposite end of the spectrum from Diabel's friendly, lighter voice. In addition, his tone was dark, compared to Diabel's lighter demeanor.

The man gestured at himself and pointed towards the seats. Diabel's eyes followed his finger; a good ten, eleven players were standing up, making themselves known. Perhaps 25% of his total attendees, Kirito noted.

"I have something to say first. Something I need to clear up before we start."

The man rolled his neck before jerking his thumb over his shoulder and glaring at Diabel condescendingly.

"Otherwise, we will leave you petty 'knights' here to play... and all you idiots will have to find someone else to fight the boss for you." He shrugged. "Not my problem if you weaklings fail."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This is half of what I've been working on. The rest of the meeting and bossfight are in the next chapter, which will be up in one to three days. Will update on my profile tomorrow which day I can get it in on. Stay tuned!  
**

**Phew, thanks to Catsy for helping me find a good place to cut the chapter in half. Would be such a pain if you guys had to read through over 25,000 words in one chapter... *shudder* do thank him for me.  
**

**Well, we see a new face. Or perhaps old. Pfeh, you guys know who she is. Who am I kidding?  
**

**Please do review. Constructive Criticism is always appreciated!  
**

**Re****view**** An****swers:**

**Most reviews didn't have any questions, so this'll be short.**

**Again, I have no experience with romance. The main point of the story isn't romance, either, but friendship and perhaps psychological stuffs. But if I would think, perhaps KiritoxOC would be best for this kind of story. Sorry for all you shippers out there... but like I said, romance isn't the focal point of this story. It's the fight for freedom.  
**

* * *

**Again, thanks to my betas for looking over this, ToumaFF and Rainbowlalaland.  
**

* * *

**I do not own Sword Art Online. I only own this story and any OCs.  
**


	7. Chapter 6: The Edge of Green

The air was clear and crisp as the amphitheater lay silent. Not a single person moved, everyone frozen in anticipation.

Kirito watched with a frown as the oddly-hairstyled man condescendingly raised an objection. The crowd unfroze, whispering amongst themselves. Some indignantly pointed fingers and said things like "Who the heck does this guy think he is?" or "He's so rude, just barging in like that!".

Mane shifted, turning her head to study the guy. An expression of disapproval formed on her small face. Sirius didn't react, though his gaze seemed to intensify, as did Heathcliff's.

Kirito thought about what the man had threatened to do: desert the meeting. It would obviously be much harder to take on the boss with ten less people. Their numbers were small already. They couldn't afford going without the man's group.

Diabel evidently thought along the same lines. His eyes narrowed, but he nodded and turned back to the intruding player.

"Very well. We shall listen. Would you please give us the pleasure of your name?"

Mane blearily blinked several times at the shorter man, then quietly said to Kirito, "Cactus-head."

"What?"

"That guy's name is Cactus-head." She leaned against him and watched with a tired expression.

Kirito snorted, stifling a laugh. He closely examined the man; he indeed looked like a cactus from above.

As if he had heard, the man whipped around, scanning the crowd with a sharp eye. After a moment, he turned back to a slightly confused Diabel.

"My name is Kibaou." announced the man in the gravelly tone of his.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Edge of Green**

* * *

Diabel's mouth twitched downwards for a moment. "Indeed... and what do you have to say, Kibaou-san?"

Kibaou again turned around and looked over the crowd. His beady eyes shined with some heavy emotion.

Kirito felt a tap on his other shoulder, and he turned his head slightly to see Heathcliff leaning towards him. Without taking his eyes off of Cactus-head, Heathcliff muttered, "That man is..."

"Eh?"

Kirito suddenly shivered as his sixth sense alerted him to some kind of danger. He slowly angled his eyes towards the podium, meeting Cactus-head's gaze for a moment.

He slowly blinked, eyes narrowing. He felt something... wrong. Something he had felt before.

He sensed an extreme hatred.

Then Kibaou broke his stare to individually stare at the rest of the people around Kirito. Murmurs started to pop up, people starting to wonder _what was this guy doing?_

Kirito stared into the side of Kibaou's head. He wasn't sure... but he could feel hatred. Resentment, emitting from that moment of contact.

Mane shivered unconsciously, still watching the podium and it's occupants. Sirius let out a breath through his teeth, muttering, _12 people gone? That's not good_. Though the girl had donned her hood, Kirito could hear her rapid respiration.

Heathcliff's face was hard, the way he expressed emotion. He repeated his words in a low tone, so only they could hear. "That man isn't very... stable."

Having finished his inspection, Kibaou finally turned to Diabel. He spread his arms in a questioning motion.

"Out of all these people... there are around five people that need to get down here right now and apologize. Right now."

The murmur among the crowd grew larger as a confused atmosphere descended upon them. Several people began calling out things like, "What do you mean?" and, "Are you crazy?".

Diabel's mouth turned into an honest frown. He raised both hands, silently indicating _slow down_. "Excuse me... but, apologize to whom? You are not making much sense."

Kirito abruptly leaned back apprehensively. Somehow, his body knew what was going to be said even if his brain didn't.

Kibaou spat onto the ground, the virtual spizzle evaporating, but the point was made. "Ha. Obviously to the two thousand people who died in this past hellish month! Just because of these people and their selfishness, they all died! Two thousand people!"

The audience instantly shushed. The number, two thousand, instantly made everyone know what he was talking about. Kirito sickly closed his eyes and watched the darkness under his eyelids.

"Um, Kibaou-san." He could hear Diabel tentatively asking. "Are you possibly referring to the «Beta Testers»?"

Kirito blinked open his eyes to see Kibaou gesturing wildly.

"Of course I am! Who else?" Kibaou swung his arm and punched the palm of his other hand angrily, causing his scale mail to clink on the hardened leather shirt underneath. "Those cheap bastards, right from the first day, just ran off! Abandoned us all, who couldn't even step out of that thrice blasted city without having our HP blown to bits by monsters. They took all the quests with the best rewards, they used all the profitable grinding grounds, they didn't care at all about the rest of us! Just about themselves!"

The crowd began to mutter, some players nodding their heads in agreement.

Kirito looked down at the floor between his feet. So Kibaou wanted revenge on the beta testers for abandoning the majority of the players in Starting City. That much was clear. He did indeed have several good points.

But more than half, around twelve hundred of those deaths came from _suicide_, not monster kills. Those people had jumped over the side of Aincrad of their own free will. The Beta Testers had nothing to do with them.

_Still... eight hundred people..._

However, if he spoke out here, he would immediately be labeled a beta tester, and most likely even land all of his friends in trouble too. That would never do...

_Maybe I could have done something more?_ Kirito wondered.

All he had done was help a small group of players learn the basics of the game. A drop in the bucket compared to the many people that died.

"Well? I know some of you blasted beta testers are in this crowd!" Kibaou yelled. "You stinking rats, trying to join us hard, honest working people in killing the boss? I demand you all come down here, confess your sins, and kneel. To the party members your lives depend on. That is all!"

He felt Mane shift on his shoulder, and she quietly mumbled, "It's okay, Kirito-kun. Cactus-Head's not talking about you. You're a good person... you helped."

Kirito recalled that day and grimaced, remembering the four deaths. Despite the reassurances from all of his friends, he still believed he should have done... something more. He didn't know what, but he felt the unfortunate demise of those players was still his fault.

He had never told anyone his doubts, though. They were his problems and his alone. No one else's. It wouldn't be right to share the weight with another person.

So in reply, he only grunted.

The rest of the audience was dead silent, though Kirito could feel the tension and eagerness in the air. It was as if the crowd was just waiting for the first tester to be condemned.

Kibaou had blown off most of his initial steam and was staring angrily into the crowd. "Beta testers? Scared now, you cursed bastards with your better equipment and knowledge? I bet you're all just spineless cowards, every single one-"

"Excuse me, Kibaou. May I speak as well?"

Kibaou suddenly froze, completely caught off guard by the deep, firm voice that resounded through the evening air.

An extremely large man, bald, skin a rich tone of brown, walked forward and easily stepped onto the podium. He wore simple leather armor which may have led people to believe he was a lower leveled player, but the large battle axe strapped to his back spoke otherwise. Kirito recognized the weapon as a rare «Steelborn Battleaxe» that rarely dropped from a small quest chain on the first floor.

The guy was huge. There was no other word for it. While size did not equal strength in this world, he appeared to move with ease even though the weapon on his back had an abnormally high weight. A relative giant, he easily towered over both Diabel and Kibaou when he straightened up.

He turned and lightly bowed to the audience, before assuming a stern expression. Turning back to the two on the stage, he motioned to Kibaou.

"I am called Agil. Now, by what you have said, you believe the Beta Testers are to blame for the deaths of all two thousand players who have died thus far, because they never helped or took care of them, is that correct? And now, you want them to apologize and to accept responsibility."

Agil's quiet, sturdy tone eased the tension in the air slightly. Kibaou was overwhelmed for a moment. Perhaps he had never expected someone this calm to oppose him, or even any opposition at all.

"Uh... yes. That-That's right."

Cactus-head then drew himself up, as if reminding himself that this was his spotlight. He tried to straighten up, but he still didn't even reach Agil's shoulders.

"Those beta testers can go to hell. If they didn't just run off and leave nine thousand players all alone, stranded and with no help, those two thousand dead people would still be alive!"

Kibaou's hands curled up. He raised one arm to shoulder height in anger, caught in the moment, and shook his fist. "If only those devils had shared their knowledge! They should have shared their information, their items and intel, their col. If they did, he... they could all be still alive today! There would have been many more people here. Some of them were even elite MMO players, and if they had lived...I-If those filthy beta testers, those darned cheaters, had just not been selfish, we could have already been at the second, no, even the third floor already!"

His tone escalated until he was basically screaming the words and spittle into Agil's face. Diabel's eye twitched in annoyance and surprise. Kirito felt deafened by the silence that fell after Kibaou finished his rant.

Not only that, but he felt torn inside as well. He did have the knowledge. Why didn't he go help people?

He could have saved more...

"So this is your argument, Kibaou?"

Despite having been screamed at in the face, Agil still maintained his otherworldly calm and light, even tone. Kirito was strongly reminded of Heathcliff's unbreakable shell.

"Money and items, I feel that's pushing it a bit too far. A player has the right to what he earns. But information... the beta testers, they did give it to you, if you actually looked for it."

Agil pinched his thumb and forefinger together and drew out the menu, quickly manipulating it and opening his inventory window. He selected an item and chose the withdraw option, causing something to materialize about his hand and drop into it. The screen, by default, immediately swung around Agil's body and disappeared.

All the players in the audience craned their necks and leaned forward to get a better look. Kirito, with his «Searching» enhanced vision, immediately identified it as a booklet. He could vaguely make out a simply rat's head design on the cover.

He recognized it immediately. It was the manual that his friend, Argo, had written. Back at the beginning of the game, as an informational dealer, she had decided to help the players in her own way, pouring information about the first floor and Sword Art Online's interfaces into the booklet. The first edition had gone into most of Starting City's stores at the price of zero col; she relied on her informants and some friends, including Kirito, to supply the paper for the pamphlet, sometimes hunting the goats to the east herself to procure the sheepskin.

Something to note, was the line in red text on the back cover: "This information was derived from the time of the beta test. Some aspects of the game might have been changed in the official release."

Agil waved the book and gently slapped it into his other hand. "This is a guidebook. It was distributed for free among most of the shops in Starting City, «Tolbana», «Horunka», «Medai», pretty much every village."

"Really..." Kibaou snorted in disdain. "...and what is this guidebook about?"

"It's a complete guide on the first floor. Well, this edition is. The first edition was issued a day or two after... the tutorial. It covered the first floor up to «Horunka Village»."

Most of the audience started to mumble. "Is that true?" "It was there the whole time?" "For free?" In response, some of the players pulled out various editions of the guidebook and confirmed Agil's words. Mane yawned and pulled out her own copy.

"Now," Agil continued, "this newest edition came out around two days ago. It contains a detailed map and explanation of the first floor. There are quest guides and tips on farming as well. In the first edition, the combat tips only had details on «Wrist Blade» combat, which I speculate is because the author only knew how to effectively battle with that weapon. But this edition also includes «1-H Sword» combat and «Sword & Shield», as well as several other weapon categories."

This, Kirito already knew, for he had written the section on «1-H Swords» himself. Heathcliff had given the tips for Shield combat upon request from Argo. Numerous old beta testers, most specializing in different types of weaponry, had supplied that information.

_...yet, that wasn't enough. People still died..._

"...and most importantly, this edition also contains information on the first floor's boss."

There was a large outburst of surprise from the audience, most of them scrambling to see for themselves using the manuals their companions had. Kibaou himself stood stunned.

"Kibaou. This information could not of come from anywhere else other than the Beta Testers you speak disapprovingly of."

Kibaou's mouth opened and closed like a stranded fish. Still standing rather awkwardly to the side, Diabel nodded approvingly at Agil.

The giant hammered the final nail in the coffin. "So as you can see, right here..." Agil tossed the book back and forth between his gigantic hands. "...the information was available ever since two or three days after the start of the game. Two thousand still died. That was their mistake, their folly... I'm sorry to say that, but the resource they needed to survive was already available to them."

He turned to the seated players. "The beta testers did what they could. They provided this wealth of information to us. I say to any testers in the audience, thank you. You have done well. It is up to us to use it now."

Kirito blinked rapidly, suddenly feeling a wellspring of emotion directed towards Agil.

_He's a good man..._

"_Yeah. He's a nice guy."_

Mane's voice echoed in the confines of his mind again. She apparently felt the same way.

"Ah... wait, I want to say something too."

The crowd turned as one to rest their gazes upon a young boy sitting on one of the front row benches. He shrank for a moment, conscious that all eyes were on him, then he swallowed and stood up. On of his buddies slapped him on the back encouragingly.

He was a small kid, perhaps one of the youngest of the dungeon clearers. His stature was a little small, but then again, size did not equal strength in this world. If he had to guess, Kirito would answer, "About fourteen, fifteen years old?".

Kirito blinked several times, realizing he knew this kid from somewhere. He had briefly glimpsed him and his party once or twice in the dungeon, but he remembered his face... from somewhere before.

"Um... Kibaou-san, not all Beta Testers are bad. There was this one guy, he helped my friend, and I, after the tutorial... uh, the day after."

Kibaou squinted suspiciously at the boy, who cowered, then stood a little straighter. Agil and Diabel watched with interest.

"He taught me, and lots of other people, how to use Sword Art Online's «Sword Skills». He was a beta tester, but he wasn't a bad guy. Not all beta testers are bad guys."

Sirius glanced over at Kirito, and nodded with a knowing look, mouthing, _"Remember?"_. Kirito clutched his head and shook it.

He felt a tug on his leather shirt, and he looked down. Mane had perched her head on his shoulder and was looking up at him. She muttered, "You taught that kid. He's talking about you."

Mane's words jolted Kirito into recalling the private chat he had had with Klein, and the kid who had thanked him. He closely scrutinized the kid; yup, it was the same one.

He suddenly felt a comforting feeling in his heart.

"He helped everyone, and, uh, I didn't catch on at first, but he stayed with me, made sure I learned how to use the skills! He was a really good guy!" The kid earnestly continued to elaborate, drawing approving nods and words from the audience.

A warm sense spread out through his chest. Something akin to gratefulness, gratefulness to this kid for standing up for him. Perhaps a little pride, too.

Then Kirito banished the pride from his heart. He hated that emotion now.

The audience was quieting down now, the kid having sat down, done with his little speech. Diabel turned to the other two men on the podium and reassumed control of the conversation.

"Kibaou, your point is noted. I myself did not know about this manual... I nearly died several times before this day. Times that I now realize could have been avoided if I had checked the store inventories more carefully. But now..." Diabel looked to Agil. "If there indeed is boss information in this book, then it saves us a lot of time in scouting battles."

Kibaou simmered silently with fury as Agil nodded confirmation and flipped open the manual.

Diabel nodded and continued. "Now, perhaps some beta testers did abandon the players, maybe that is true. But this meeting is not about that. We are here to look towards a new future. We are here to discuss our strategy for the boss, and we need all the help we can get. Especially the strength of the Beta Testers."

"I am sure you all have your own thoughts, feelings, and memories. Grudges. We cannot help it, it is only human. But for now, at least now, I ask all of you to set your differences aside so we can conquer the first floor. If there are some of you who will never fight alongside Testers of your own will, I regret to ask you to step out. We will have to manage... without you. Teamwork is essential in this world, especially in a boss fight."

Diabel stumbled a little over his last few sentences. The loss of twelve people would be a fourth of their attack force gone. That in and of itself would mean the difficulty of taking down the boss would double.

The blue-haired knight was risking the chance of success against the boss to hold out for beta testers. Kirito felt glad there were still people like him fighting for their freedom in Aincrad.

Kibaou looked around, at the stands, at the two men next to him. His eyes, hard and set, coldly looked up to his eleven friends sitting in the top row.

He leveled his gaze to match Diabel's and spat out, "Fine. For now... but let me be clear. Only for this fight. After..."

With that last hint of a threat lingering behind him, Kibaou hopped off the podium and climbed the stairs back to his group. He whipped around and sat down with a heavy thud, arms crossed and eyes closed.

Agil calmly stepped off the stage and returned to his seat at the front. Diabel, evidently relieved that it had gone without serious incident, returned the topic to that of the boss.

"Now... apparently, we have access to information on the boss in the form of this manual. I suggest we take a break, to cool off? Also, to go retrieve a manual from one of the vendors outside. I would honestly like to read what it contains."

The crowd largely consented, and the meeting broke up for the time being.

* * *

The group of forty players gazed apprehensively at the dimly lit carving adorning the door to the boss room. It depicted a vicious monster, a large Kobold-type enemy, decimating parties of players. Kirito hoped it wasn't a prediction of their fate.

It was the day after the boss meeting. The group had spent the morning completely crushing top dungeon floor, and now, at 12:24 PM «Aincrad Standard Time», they stood outside of the boss room in solemn and tense silence.

Each floor dungeon in Aincrad had twenty floors to explore and conquer, each filled with monsters, traps, treasure, and the occasional mini-boss. Up until now, only the nineteenth had been explored. With today's contribution, the whole dungeon had been scouted.

There had been no casualties thus far. Due to the information retrieved from «Argo's Strategy Guide», the raiding party had avoided all the traps and ambush mobs with ease, engaging the ones that provided the most exp for grinding.

Before they set out, Diabel organized the players into full parties of six, labeling them with the first seven letters of the alphabet for orders. Squad G, the last party, only contained five people: Kirito, Mane, Sirius, Heathcliff, and Asuna. Asuna turned out to be the cloaked girl's name, as Kirito found out when she accepted his invitation to a party. When in a party, the HP gauges, status effects, and names of the members appeared underneath the player's own in his or her vision.

Diabel had proved himself to be an exceptional leader. Once everyone had been settled into individual squads, he demonstrated his tactical prowess and managed all seven squads effectively, rotating out people who had taken too much damage and making sure nobody was left behind. The players who wielded spears and halberds, mid-ranged weapons, were always situated behind ones with swords or shields, players who could block the attacks made against them effectively.

With a newfound burst of energy, Diabel led them through the twentieth dungeon floor with no problems whatsoever. While he mostly stood in the middle of them all and issued the tactical commands, he sometimes forsook his position and rushed into battle. Kirito had to admit he was quite a powerful player, holding his ground solo against a «Ruin Kobold Trooper». As the group watched him dispatch yet another one by himself, Kirito could feel the trust towards him in the group growing.

This was how he lead; through trust. As a leader, he had led and protected them; in return, all he asked for was their trust.

Standing a little aside from the group, Kibaou and his supporters rested against the wall as the entire party caught their breath and prepared for the boss fight. His group of eleven took up squads C and D. From what Kirito could tell from his observations, they did work quite efficiently together, but followed Diabel's orders with reluctance.

Kirito made sure to keep his distance from those two squads. Even though he rationally knew there was no way for them to figure out he had been a beta tester right now, he still unconsciously moved out of their way, avoiding any sort of contact.

He leaned against a column, impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for the rest of the party to recover. Some players were sitting cross-legged on the floor, waiting for the potions to replenish their health. Others checked the «Durability» values of their equipment, made sure they had enough potion supplies, did final run-downs before the boss fight. Nobody wanted to go in unprepared.

As he looked over the forty players before him, not including himself, Kirito would have guessed that Squad G was the strongest of all the squads. They had barely taken any damage, despite being rotated in and out just as long as the others. None of their members were tired in the least bit, and they had all checked everything beforehand.

Asuna, the cloaked girl, had proven herself to be exceptional at the sword, if a little restricted, as she never used any other skills other than «Linear». She wielded her «Edge Foil» with natural ease, piercing through the armor of the roaming troopers over and over again. Despite her only skill being «Linear», that skill was perfectly executed and followed up. Time and time again she thrust her blade into an unfortunate «Ruin Kobold Trooper» at a speed nearly too fast for the eye to follow. It was a beautiful display of talented swordsmanship.

However, her battle style was very, very risky. After performing the «Linear» skill, she always used the «Side-step Defense» tactic to dodge her opponent's attacks. She should easily be able to parry it using the reinforced blade of her «Edge Foil», but she always used the far riskier sidestep. If she didn't have her party members to cover her, and she was, by some chance, hit while attempting to sidestep, she would take a large amount of damage and might even get stunned, which would lead to certain death.

Indeed, she had gotten hit once. Her HP had dropped by 30%, which seemed to completely surprise her. Perhaps she had relied on that technique because she never got hit while using it before. She also became temporarily stunned, but thankfully, Heathcliff and Sirius were there to cover her while she recovered.

But nevertheless, she had excellent swordsmanship. Perhaps she was one of the most talented players in Aincrad...

All five of them, Squad G, were just waiting for everyone to get ready. Despite their obvious readiness, they all shared in the tense atmosphere that hung over the entire raiding party. Mane shifted uncomfortably, leaning back against Kirito's shoulder. He could feel her shivering slightly, and lay a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Sirius, Heathcliff, and Asuna were quietly discussing strategy next to them. Being a group with one less member than the party limit, they had been assigned by Diabel to be the ones to engage the «Ruin Kobold Sentinels», the empowered «Ruin Kobold Troopers» who spawned to guard the boss. Heathcliff traced a battle diagram on the stone floor with his finger, speaking quietly to the other two, both of whom nodded in agreement. Kirito closed his eyes for a moment and reviewed what he knew about the boss for the umpteenth time.

«Illfang the Kobold Lord» had been described in great detail by Argo's booklet. A rough sketch of the boss, actually quite precise compared to the depiction on the doors before them, next to a large amount of text detailing the battle statistics of the boss.

"_«Illfang the Kobold Lord» is the boss of the first floor. He is quite a large boss, spanning over two meters tall and around half as wide. As his muscular appearance might suggest, Illfang has emphasis on the «Strength» and «Vitality» stats, although his «Agility» is nothing to scoff at either. He has four HP bars, and it takes approximately ten minutes of careful attacks to deplete each one."_

"_At the beginning of the battle, three «Ruin Kobold Sentinels» adds will spawn and assist the boss. They are similar to the Troopers who wander the dungeon and surrounding area, but have been outfitted with better armor and weapons. They also have higher HP. It is essential that they be taken out or distracted from the fight with the boss. They will not respawn immediately or after a timer; they will respawn every time one of Illfang's HP bars have been depleted. Twelve Sentinels in total."_

"_The boss himself wields a «Dire Bone Axe» and a «Rounded Leather Buckler». While he does carry a shield, he does not use it that often. His attack patterns usually consist of the axe skills «Crush Cleave» and «Earth Breaker», skills that will leave his main body open for direct attacks. Sometimes, his roar may cause a 'fear' effect, technically known as the status effect «Delay»."_

Kirito remembered «Crush Cleave», a triple slice skill that had a surprisingly fast rate of attack; many of his raid members had been caught off guard by it. «Earth Breaker» was a single-hit overhand smash, which, one unlucky beta tester had found, was unblockable and had to be dodged. The unfortunate tester's sword had shattered due to the force and the oncoming blow dropped his HP to zero, the first death during that particular boss fight.

"_When the boss's last HP bar, the fourth, falls into the red zone, he will temporarily become an «Immortal Object». This will signal his transition, as he will discard his axe and shield and draw a «Talwar» type weapon from the sheath at his waist. His attack patterns will completely change. Once the weapon is completely out of the sheath, the «Immortal Object» status will drop, and he will be able to be attacked. One strategy that can be used is to prepare a «Sword Skill» and attack as soon as he becomes vulnerable, to deal a good amount of damage."_

"_The «Talwar» is a curved-sword type weapon akin to a sabre. The design of the wristguard and cramped hilt allows it to be effective at straight cuts such as «Slant» and «Horizontal», which, in addition to its «Strength» value, makes it effective against clumped-up groups. However, due to its nature as a slashing weapon, it has a hard time blocking or parrying straight pierce-type attacks. Because of this, it is better to engage the boss with a few people at a time while it wields this weapon."_

He had been one of the few people assigned to deal with Illfang's Talwar form during the beta fight, and he could confirm these words. In fact, he had been the one who wrote and sent them to Argo to be compiled, along with Heathcliff's help.

That was all the information known about the boss, but it was enough to mount a raid with a good chance of success: a strategy, the attack patterns, any unique attributes. Kirito opened his eyes, feeling slightly more confident about the boss fight.

It just so happened that at that time, Diabel, who had been walking amongst the party members giving friendly advice and encouragement, called out an end to the rest. With a cacophony of creaks and clanks, the entire group roused itself and stretched.

Heathcliff smoothly stood up, slowly turning his neck from side to side to get rid of the knots in his virtual muscles. Sirius stood up and shook his head, before reaching out a hand to help Asuna to her feet.

Kirito gently shook Mane before checking his temporary inventory for potions. Satisfied, he scanned the crowd for Diabel: he was pushing his way through the players, making for the door. Upon reaching them, he turned around and waited patiently for the crowd to organize itself and settle.

As they had twice before, the raiding party grouped up together in squads; A, B, C, and D in the front, E, F, and G in the back. The first four were delegated to attacking the boss himself, while the last three were to deal with the Sentinels.

Eventually, the entire group got itself in place and the sounds of movement ceased. The only noises came from the flickering flames in the torches above, dancing light duskily illuminating the room. Diabel waited until all was silent, then raised a hand.

"My friends... we are about to engage the first boss of Aincrad. It shall be our first step towards freedom."

Nobody spoke or cheered. Partly in respect towards Diabel, partly because the noise would attract hordes of monsters towards them.

"I have but one thing to say."

Diabel spread his arms. Then, he emotionally clenched his fist and swiftly brought it down in a fistpump. "Let us win!"

Silence. A few players grunted.

With no further words, Diabel turned and placed the palm of his hand against the cool steel doors. Responding to his touch, they slowly and steadily swung open, revealing a dark room.

Diabel drew the sword from his back, an «Anneal Blade», and advanced cautiously into the room, shield held at the ready. The vanguard followed.

Kirito felt the cool air on his cheek as he stepped into the room. Next to him, Mane clutched at his arm in fear. Weapon in the air, in a battle stance, Kirito narrowed his eyes and surveyed the room.

It was a wide room, but not as much as wide as it was deep; far from it. He estimated around twenty meters from the left side of the room to the right side. In front of him, the room stretched into the shadows, denying his «Searching» skill any information. On the side, ornate columns and swaying patterns of rock covered the walls, giving a feeling of timelessness.

A large "Klunk" sound echoed through the air and down the room, as if a giant switch had been flicked. A blaze of light spread out from the open doorway behind them, as the walls were fired up and began to emit multi-colored spectrums of prismatic light, bathing the room in an even, ethereal luster.

And as if it were a signal, a blur of red leaped towards the party from the opposite end of the hallway. With the distinctive clanking of equipment, «Illfang the Kobold Lord» smashed into the hard marble floor with a force strong enough to kick up dust clouds. Red skinned, with tufts of dark blue fur here and there, and a distinctively canine snout, Illfang reached both his hands up behind his back and drew the «Dire Bone Axe» with one hand and holstered the «Rounded Leather Buckler» on his other arm.

Then, throwing his head back, the beast roared. A guttural death challenge to those who dared to disturb him on his sacred grounds. The sound chilled Kirito down to the very bones. Mane, along with several other players, whimpered.

Four HP gauges materialized in the air next to him, curving around the left side of his head and shoulder. With a rapid series of beeps, they filled up with green until Illfang stood at full health. A final "Klang" resonated throughout the hall as the cursor, a violent bloody red color, blinked into existence along with his name, «Illfang the Kobold Lord». A skull icon appeared over the HP bar, denoting a floor boss.

Three pillars of light shimmered around the boss, and when the glow faded, three «Ruin Kobold Sentinels» stood at ready, weapons bristling. Their HP bars formed and filled, cursors appeared and glowed, the bone-white text bearing their names.

A moment of utter silence filled the hall.

Then at last, with four screams of primal fury, they charged.

Diabel straightened immediately, drew his sword back, and swung it in front of him, pointing directly at the Sentinel at the front. He shouted the fateful words.

"Commence the attack!"

And the roars from forty-two throats rose and mixed with the hissing screams from the enemies, as the raiding party leveled their weapons and rushed towards the boss.

Fifty meters separated the two sides.

Twenty-five meters.

Ten.

Then the edge of green was crossed and the chaos of combat was all that remained.

* * *

Kirito swung his sword in a quick generic «Double Slash» skill that knocked the mace wielded by the «Ruin Kobold Sentinel» aside.

_Switch!_

Catching the thought, Mane ran forward, Historica blazing with a silver light. The «Horizontal» caught the Sentinel directly under its helmet, causing a cloud of particles to fly and its HP to drop by a significant amount.

Heathcliff charged forward, shield held in front of him. With a clashing sound, he bashed the shield into the face of the helmeted lizard, knocking him off balance. Sirius and Asuna followed it up, blades flashing as Asuna drove her powerful «Linear» skill into the chest of the Sentinel and immediately jumped backwards, making way for Sirius' backhanded «Uppercut» to make contact.

With a shrieking cry, the monster was launched into the air, where it flipped once and landed on its feet, crouching for a moment and then charging at them once more. Heathcliff hefted his tower shield and raised his «Anneal Blade», ready to receive and counter.

All around them, the clanging of blade on blade and weapons on armor echoed off the shimmering walls. The walls shifted continuously, swirls of light and color crawling through the room, reflecting off the ceiling and floor.

And in the middle of it all, «Illfang the Kobold Lord» was swinging his axe back and forth viciously, the strength of his blows displacing the air. There was a sharp green spark, as two players countered with «Sword Skills» of their own, temporarily halting the boss' movement.

Diabel called out an order and with battle cries, a party of six; Squad B, headed by Agil, moved in and attacked. Multicolored streaks impacted against Illfang's thick hide, causing his health bar to shrink; the largest impact came from the «Steelborn Axe» wielded by Agil. The monster turned immediately, raising its weapon. The players scrambled to dodge as the weapon shined bright red, and none of them were caught in the crushing «Earth Breaker» that shook the floor. Of course, the floor, being an «Immortal Object», was not broken.

Illfang roared in contempt, half for effect, half to attempt to fear, or «Delay», the players around him. Luckily, none of Squad B were affected by the status condition. Diabel shouted, "Retreat!", and the squad disengaged and were replaced by Squad D and A. With a point of Diabel's sword, they attacked.

Two of Illfang's HP bars were empty: black-rimmed, colorless gauges that had no life in them. The third bar shone a bright red, and was only around a fifth full.

The fight had been going on for around half an hour. Diabel tirelessly called out the tactics and commands, rotating the attack squads in and out with clockwork precision. Under his precise orders, there had been no casualties, nothing that couldn't be fixed by a health potion. While the Tanks of the squads had taken a lot of damage, none of them had slipped into the dangerous red zone.

Squads E, F, and G dealt with and kept the Sentinels away from the main boss fight group. They had respawned twice already; once for every one of Illfang's depleted HP bars. When the Sentinel assigned to their group had been defeated, Diabel ordered that squad to join the rotation against the boss until the next group of Sentinels spawned.

Heathcliff tilted his tower shield upwards, and with a shower of sparks, the «Ruin Kobold Sentinel's» attack was deflected. It staggered to the side, unbalanced.

Five swords pierced its hide at the same time. With a shrieking scream of pain, the armored Kobold slowly froze, turned blue, and shattered. A quick notice popped up in everyone's vision to denote the experience and gold earned.

Kirito idly chided himself for joining the "overkill" of the monster, then nodded quickly to everyone.

"Good job."

They all nodded back. Mane, blinking rapidly and breathing hard, shuddered for a moment. Kirito quietly tried to comfort her. Asuna slowly moved over and held her hand.

Despite her usually carefree nature, Mane still had Thanatophobia: the fear of death. While she knew, rationally, that these Sentinels were not much a threat, she also knew a boss fight would be incredibly hard, with a much higher chance of death. Which caused her to feel extremely anxious and nervous.

She took deep, shaky breaths, and with an enormous force of will, momentarily calmed down. She gave them all a weak smile and managed to breathe out, "I... I'm okay."

Both Heathcliff and Kirito frowned. After some consideration, he reluctantly accepted it. Kirito patted her once more on the shoulder, then surveyed the battlefield.

The other two Sentinels had been exterminated. Squads E and F stood unoccupied, some of their members panting.

Then Diabel shouted, "The third bar has been depleted!"

Kirito looked up at the boss, and sure enough, the the last vestiges of red disappeared from the third HP gauge. On cue, three pillars of shining light coalesced and disintegrated, leaving behind three fresh «Ruin Kobold Sentinels». Their HP bars appeared and filled up, cursors and names were visualized, and they charged into battle.

Illfang screamed again, a cry with noticeably more fury and anger than before. Several of Squad A were affected with the «Delay» status effect, but their comrades dragged them to safety before anything could be done to them. The roar had barely left his mouth when he fell upon the raiding party once again.

The Sentinel on the left made a beeline straight for Squad G. This one carried a shield and sword combo, shield held high and sword drawn back. A typical stance.

Heathcliff solemnly raised his tower shield in the same manner. "Same tactics," he commanded.

Sirius grunted in affirmation, moving forward preemptively. Asuna followed close behind, «Edge Foil» hefted at shoulder height. Kirito dodged around to the side, and after some hesitation, Mane ran after him.

As he inched around the target to strike at the Sentinel's side while it was occupied by Heathcliff, Kirito thought back to Kibaou's words.

"_If they didn't just run off and leave nine thousand players all alone, stranded and with no help, those two thousand dead people would still be alive!"_

_Was there anything else I could have done?_

"Kirito!"

Sirius' voice brought him back to reality. He shook his head and lunged forward, catching the Sentinel's tail with an overhand «Vertical», slicing off around 5% of its HP. The lizard screeched in indignation, before hopping back and settling into a defensive stance.

Kirito charged forward, his «Anneal Blade» whistling in the wind behind him.

_Is there anything I could do... right now?_

With a chain of furious strikes, a web of dark blue light, he smashed through the Sentinel's defenses and activated the sword skill «Vertical Arc», slicing the Kobold in a V-shaped trajectory. With a hiss, the Sentinel retreated.

Kirito lay still for a moment as his skill cooldown period expended itself, then he fell back, drawing the Sentinel closer as its focus led it closer and closer to him.

In the blink of an eye, he re-engaged, locking blades with the Sentinel. Through the slits of its helmet, he could see two red eyes, glowing in the darkness.

They struggled for a moment, then the Sentinel snarled and fell back as two blades pierced its sides while it was preoccupied with Kirito. Sirius and Asuna charged, not willing to give up the advantage just yet. They attacked the Sentinel while it was off-balance and managed to push it back, dropping it into the yellow zone.

Kirito quickly swiped a potion from his pouch and drafted it, healing whatever damage he had sustained from his fight. Several scratches along his person, revealing the red wire frame of his character, sealed up. Now rejuvenated both in HP and a little bit by the sweet taste of the potion, he ran towards the Sentinel, sword at the ready.

"Switch!" Sirius called, sensing his approach.

With a clang, Sirius knocked the Sentinel's sword back. Asuna shouted wordlessly and her powerful «Linear» skill pushed away the shield. They both leaped to either side. Kirito's «Anneal Blade» glowed dark blue, and he jumped forward, his weapon flying over his head and cleaved straight into the creature's helmet.

The «Helm Splitter» skill did its work, shattering the headguard. Shards of steel burst in every direction, nicking Kirito in several places, though causing next to no damage.

A naked, scaly head with the distinctive dog snout was now exposed on the Sentinel's shoulders. To his right, Asuna covered her mouth with one hand and turned slightly green. Sparing no time for surprise, Kirito immediately followed it up with a hilt bash to the head.

The creature hissed and rolled away, HP dropping into the red zone. It straightened, then suddenly started to sway on its feet. A comical ring of stars circled above its head.

"«Stun»!" Kirito exclaimed. A status effect where the victim was immobilized and could not attack or defend. There was a small chance to stun if hit in the head, and multiplied by two if hit with a blunt object.

Heathcliff wasted no time and roared, "Everyone, attack!" He hefted his blade first and charged.

The poor Sentinel stood no chance. Five swords pierced straight through it at different angles. With a howl of anguish, the monster disintegrated.

Before they even had enough time to relax, a large scream came from the boss. Kirito whirled around to see Illfang crouching, eyes glowing a deep, blood red. His last HP bar had entered the red zone.

There was a stray "Clang!" as one of Squad B's swords, slightly after his comrades, smacked into the boss' stomach. It was repelled with a sharp purple effect, and a system message popped up, «Immortal Object».

The boss was about to change his attack patterns.

"Retreat!" Diabel shouted. Squad B hastily followed his order, creating some distance between them and the boss. The blue haired knight rushed to the forefront of the players, his shield up and ready.

Illfang watched them bemusedly, then drew himself forward. Several players cringed, but instead of charging, he flung himself back, releasing his hold on his armaments. With the sounds of metal on marble, the «Dire Bone Axe» and «Rounded Leather Buckler» fell to the floor and disintegrated. The boss then straightened up and bared his teeth.

"Squad C!" Diabel called. The group of players looked up, none more surprised than Kibaou. "Stay close, but not too close, cover me! I'll finish him myself!"

And with that, Diabel charged forward into No-man's land. With some hesitation, Squad C followed him, spreading out. The rest of the squads cheered their leader on, with calls of support. Illfang silently watched them with its beady eyes.

Kirito frowned. _Alone?_

Sirius stepped forward uncertainly, whereas Mane blinked unknowingly. Heathcliff's eyes narrowed, and Asuna stood still.

While it was indeed better to engage a Talwar user with less people, solo was taking it too far. It was always dangerous to engage a boss solo, even if you had the information. What Diabel was doing was pure foolishness.

_...Is it to show off in front of the entire raiding party?_

That was certainly possible. To increase his standing among the players. _The man who organized the first floor raiding party, and defeated the boss himself._ That kind of title and achievement would earn him a legendary ranking and status.

_But still..._

Even as Kirito had his doubts, Diabel settled into a skill stance. His sword flared a sky blue as he prepared his skill, ready to strike as soon as Illfang drew his weapon. There was a murmur of anticipation among the party.

Illfang roared a challenge, then laid his hand on the cloth wrapped hilt protruding from the sheath hung horizontally behind his waist. Diabel shouted wordlessly in response, a brave and defiant response, before charging forward, trails of light whispering behind his blade.

Dread abruptly coursed through Kirito's heart, which thumped and struggled like a trapped bird.

It was as if time had slowed down. Diabel was running forward in slow motion, wisps of power emanating from his sword. Illfang slowly ripped the Talwar out of the sheath with a long, drawn out steely screech. The sound grated through Kirito's ears and rattled his brain.

_...No._

The sheath dropped to the ground, no longer tethered to the boss's back. It clattered once, twice, and exploded. Taking no heed of it, Illfang settled into a combat stance.

_...No, no, no..._

A «Talwar» was a curved-sword type weapon. It had a unique hilt design. Its blade was flat and keen along the edges, with a sharp tip honed to a point.

_That's... that's not a «Talwar»..._

What Illfang was holding in his hand had a blade much straighter than any «Talwar». It started out narrow near the handle, which was lacking the distinctive cramped crossguard, and widened out until the tip of the blade. The end of the sword was notched, and the whole thing gleamed dark grey, the shine of a forged weapon. It looked extremely heavy; Illfang's knuckles were strained white as he hefted the blade.

_That's not a «Talwar»._

The information suddenly popped into Kirito's head. Ninth floor, during the beta. A red-armored sub-boss monster. Same kind of sword.

_That's... that's... a..._

Katana-type weapon. Offensive battle style. Hits hard. The facts popped into Kirito's head one after another, fueled and created by pure horror.

_That's a «Nodachi»._

But only one stood out in his mind. If one had the strength to bypass its «Strength» requirement...

_It's different from the beta! DIABEL!_

The «Nodachi's» greatest advantage was during a one on one fight.

"STOP!" The word tore itself from Kirito's mouth.

Heads were turning his way, but he ignored them. He bolted straight for Diabel.

"Retreat! Retreat as fast as you can! DIABEL!"

Too late.

Diabel leaped forward, sword shining bright. Illfang drew the Nodachi back, and it burst into red, curving around his body in a deadly arc. The «Knight» swung his weapon to meet it.

With a flash of red, the «Anneal Blade» was knocked from its owners grasp, where it flew to the side and clattered to the floor. The Nodachi hardly faltered in its movement, continuing on its way straight into Diabel himself.

"Gack!"

Diabel choked as the weapon, twice his size, smashed into him with the speed of a truck. With a sinister tearing sound, Illfang tilted the blade's trajectory upwards, cutting through Diabel's body from hip to shoulder. The force of the blow sent him flying back into the air, and he dropped to the floor with a sickening crunch. He bounced twice and lay still.

The room was absolutely silent. The last echoes of Kirito's scream hadn't even faded and yet, Diabel lay broken, an ugly crimson tear in his torso, revealing the wireframe of his character. Nobody moved, everyone staring at Diabel's broken form.

And then Illfang showed them the folly of taking their attention away from him, rushing forward towards the distracted Squad C. He brought the Nodachi around again, and it flared with red power.

They didn't even have the time to open their mouths to scream.

Arcs of red light traced the gashes in the armor and skin of Squad C as Illfang executed the «Katana» skill «Gengetsu», a powerful but unstable skill that attacked in a half-circle with explosive force. While it wobbled and was inaccurate, it was extremely effective against enemies clumped together in front of you.

Which spelled doom for Squad C. All six of them were knocked flying, two crushed against walls and the others dropping to the floor like sacks. None of them had green HP bars anymore. The two who had been flung to the side were in the red.

Nobody moved. Sirius muttered a curse under his breath.

Then someone in the raiding party screamed.

Utter chaos broke out. A majority of the people completely lost their nerve and ran full-pelt towards the open doorway. Some tried to force their way forward. Pandemonium.

"Darn it!" Sirius ran towards the fallen players. "Go! Go help them!"

Kirito dashed forward as fast as his legs could take him. Not fast enough. The main boss fight had been taking place too far from where Squad G had engaged the Sentinel.

Illfang slowly stepped over to one of the fallen players. Feeling the bosses steps shaking the floor, the man scrambled up and raised his sword, shaking. His eyes were wide with terror.

A simple «Curved Sword» skill «Reaver» was enough to banish him from the world forever.

Kirito gritted his teeth and ran faster. Still not fast enough. There was a death scream as Illfang took care of yet another player. He turned to the next closest target.

"Diabel!"

Which was the fallen raid leader. Kirito quickly knelt next to him and wrapped his arms around his torso. His HP bar was red, hovering at around 10% full. From that one blow, 90% of his HP had been removed.

He wouldn't survive a single hit.

Diabel moaned, apparently in shock. While no pain was felt in Aincrad, players still felt the power behind each hit, and some would be mentally stunned as their body felt the blow, even if there wasn't any pain.

Kirito pulled with all his might, but his «Strength» value was too small to move a person that fast. Even as he inched Diabel across the marble floor, he could sense Illfang approaching them at a leisurely pace, as if mocking their helplessness.

"Darn it! Move! You aren't going to die! Diabel!"

The raid leader groaned, then blearily opened one eye.

"You... Kirito..." He gritted his teeth. "Leave... retreat!"

"No! I'm not letting you die!" Kirito tugged again. "I've let too many people die already!"

"No! Leave... leave me!" Diabel's eyes focused on something behind Kirito. "Now! This is... my fault. Go! ...Go NOW!"

Kirito released Diabel, straightened, and whirled around. The «Anneal Blade» was withdrawn from his sheath and held up to ward off a blow.

Even as he did so, Kirito realized how futile it was.

Up close, the Nodachi was gargantuan. Even more so was Illfang, casting both him and Diabel in a deep shadow. The boss appeared to be sneering, teeth bared in a detestable smile.

His arm was pulled back. A red halo appeared to surround his head, and Kirito belatedly recognized the stance. While it was designed for axes, the weight and cutting power of the Nodachi still worked perfectly fine with it.

It was the opening sequence for «Earth Breaker».

Despair completely overtook his mind. It was hopeless. He couldn't possibly block this skill, not even deflect it. There was no time. The only option was to take the blow.

_...no, Diabel!_

Diabel would still be hurt. He would not be able to hold back the skill. Even if he took the entire blow with his own body, the leader on the ground behind him would take collateral damage as a result of the area-of-effect nature of «Earth Breaker». His already low HP would be completely drained.

_What can I do!?_

There was nothing he could do. Kirito raised his blade in a defensive stance, the flat of his blade angled across his chest to absorb the most of the blow.

He knew, however, that it was not enough.

_No! There has to be something! This cannot happen!_

"_Kirito-kun!"_

With the authority of God himself, the blade began the downwards arc. A crimson bolt of judgement.

_No!_

"_No!"_

The light faded to darkness.

_This won't happen!_

"_I don't want this to happen!"_

Closer.

_I'M NOT LETTING ANYONE DIE!_

"_I'M NOT LETTING ANYONE DIE!"_

Contact.

* * *

"_Kirito-kun."_

_I... I..._

"_Kirito-kun!"_

_I... Mane?_

"_Kirito-kun!"_

Kirito opened his eyes. He looked numbly at the «Nodachi», quivering as the force it used to carry was absorbed by the two blades, locked together by the hilts, that stood firmly in front of him.

One of the swords was his «Anneal Blade». The other was a light sheen of blue, golden hilt designs, and held by someone next to him. The flat of the sword caught the light, winking at him knowingly.

_Double... knife...defense?_

It was a rare tactic among knife users against sword-type weapons, due to the fact it was extremely hard to master. It involved crossing the blades and locking the hilts, forming an X. One could then "catch" the sword in the V of the two blades and effectively neutralize the blow. However, the blades needed to be at just the right angle for their hilts to lock and blades to balance the force, or else the defense would be broken and the knife user would be severely hurt.

Kirito had never seen it being used with swords anymore. And that sword... that blue sword...

_Historica? Mane?_

"_Kirito-kun... nobody else is going to die. I promise."_

Somewhere in his mind, he saw the scene in front of him again, like a fading memory. Except, this one was from a different angle, from right next to him.

He turned his head at the same time Mane turned to face him. He watched her face through his eyes and watched his own face with her eyes.

Kirito felt... strange. He looked through Mane's orbs and viewed his own face: quiet, determined, and tense. He felt her grip on Historica, his warmth pressing against her shoulder and back. He knew her every thought, and from them, he knew she knew all of his.

At the same time, he retained control and sense of his own body. He watched Mane's face; scared, yet determined. He felt his own grip on the «Anneal Blade». He felt her body's warmth pressing against his own shoulder.

It all felt so disorienting.

And yet, at the same time, it all felt comforting. So familiar.

_Mane... we..?_

"_Kirito-kun... together. Nobody is going to die anymore... We're together."_

He knew what she meant. She didn't understand what was happening, either, but they both knew that they couldn't let anyone else die.

All this happened in the blink of an eye, the speed of thought. In front of them, Illfang snorted in surprise. The «Nodachi» was drawn back, and Illfang prepared himself for another attack.

Without hesitation, both of them leaped forward, already knowing what they should do. With a swift jab of silver light, Mane stabbed Illfang in the stomach. Even as the boss turned to counterattack, Kirito raised his blade and slashed at his arm, tearing a small gash in the tough skin.

They shared a quick moment of exchanging thoughts, then Kirito, who currently held the boss' aggro, attacked him one more time and jumped away. Illfang crouched to charged at him, and just as he began his rush, Mane broke his concentration by attacking his tail. Repeatedly, they inched Illfang away from Diabel's prone form, as well as the other fallen players.

Together, they struck at the boss over and over. Chaining their attacks, repeatedly attacking and wearing down its HP. They constantly switched tactics and the aggression between themselves. They didn't even need to think their thoughts to each other. They already knew.

Steadily, point by point, percent by percent, the last HP bar was being depleted.

Kirito attacked furiously, driving the «Anneal Blade» over and over again into the target. Illfang howled in pain, before whipping around with the Nodachi blazing bright red. From Mane's perspective, he could see the angle of the attack was directed upwards, signalling that the approaching skill was going to be an «Ukifune», which knocked opponents high into the air.

He ducked and leaped sideways as the extremely large blade came within an inch of cleaving his arm off. Rolling to his feet, Kirito executed a «Slant» attack to Illfang's back leg, leaving a large gash in his hide.

He felt Mane flinch for a second, felt her withdraw for a moment as she remembered, by looking at his memory, how close that sword had come to hitting him.

Then she shook her head and lunged, «Horizontal» neatly hitting its target. Yet, Kirito could feel Mane's hand shaking. He tried to soothe her with comforting thoughts. He guided her hand to attack again, then helped her retreat.

_I will protect you... protect you all._

Finally, he and Mane both engaged the boss full-on, utilizing the principle of the «Double Knife Defense» and their flawless teamwork to slowly overpower the boss. Constantly shifting focus, always defending at the exact moments, together, their blades glowed, whirled around and struck time and time again, a frightening display of grey.

Together they fought, they danced. The air filled with the sound of life and death. They weaved pristine patterns of grey threads, mirroring each other on either side. They stuck together, one after another, in perfect rhythm.

Inch by inch. The boss' HP dropped to 5%.

A guttural scream filled the air as Illfang finally went full on offense, completely disregarding hate. The «Nodachi» swung down over and over again at a speed that was absurd. Kirito could feel the power of the blows as they rained down upon them.

Suddenly, he stumbled as a point of terror drove itself into his brain, before being quickly withdrawn. He sensed a blow coming down through Mane's eyes, and ducked, feeling the displacement of air ruffle his hair.

Mane was beginning to falter. Her willpower, her dam against Thanatophobia, was beginning to run out as the rain of death around her sapped her energy. They both knew that with their builds and equipment, two hits would spell instant death.

_This needs to end quickly._

"_I...it... I... ah!"_

Kirito dashed under the shower of blows and scored another hit on the boss. He felt a sharp pang of fear drive into both his and Mane's heads before they crushed it with their minds. She dashed to the opposite side and attacked as well.

The fear was corrosive. Kirito could feel the sheer terror Mane was just barely holding back. It gnawed at the edges of his mind, the edges of _her_ mind, just eating away at their concentration. He and Mane locked their blades together again at a single thought, absorbing the impact of the Nodachi. They both gritted their teeth and the same impulse, but Kirito also felt Mane's legs wobbling under the pressure.

Illfang attacked again and again, repeatedly smashing the weapon into their locked blades like a jackhammer. While the speed of the blows were increasing, the power behind each hit was also going down.

But Mane's power was gone too. With a final smash of the Nodachi, she stumbled to her knees.

Alarmed, Kirito mentally screamed, _MANE!_

"_Kirito-kun...! I... I-I...Ahhhh!"_

The fear overwhelmed her, and through their link, him. The sheer _terror_ of death wrapped its suffocating arms around him. Kirito's mind blacked out for a moment under the feeling of horror, just as Mane blacked out at the same time. He could feel both of their bodies freeze.

When he regained control of his senses, Illfang was already beginning the downwards cut.

_MANE!_

The blade silently ripped a gash diagonally in her small body, from shoulder to hip. The force knocked her to the floor, where she lay limp. Her HP bar steadily fell to 30%.

Her eyes were wide with shock and fear.

_MA-!_

An explosion of pure pain tore a gaping hole in his mind and chest. Kirito screamed, completely consumed by the blaze. His mind was burnt blank, with the sole exception of one emotion: surprise.

_WHA- *HRK* GAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

Kirito fell to his knees, clutching his chest. His eyes were open but unseeing as he toppled over sideways onto the floor. Nothing remained but the pain and his screams.

_The pain... It hurts..._

The pain. A long diagonal flaming whip of pain that stretched from his shoulder to his hip.

_Where!... *Gck!* NRRAAGHHHH!-... when!?..._

Tears leaked out of his eyes. All rational thought had been destroyed. As if his entire upper torso had been torn apart.

He could no longer feel Mane's mind. He was alone, completely isolated, surrounded by the foreign wall of agony that ripped apart his soul upon contact.

_Mane...!_

An image floated in the smoldering remains of his mind: a large, pulsing tear in his body. Glowing a blood red, snapped wireframes lining the edges. It was what his eyes were seeing at that moment.

_...How!? How... is there *gasp* pain!?_

A low, tortured moan ripped itself out of his throat. Illfang spared him a short, condescending glance, before turning towards Mane's unmoving body.

_No.. no... Mane...!_

Alarm shot through his heart. He tried to rise, but faltered and struck the floor as the gash in his chest flared, dragging him deeper into a world of hurt. He grimaced and dragged himself forward with one hand, the other crossed across his wound.

_Mane!_

He couldn't let her die. Kirito knew he couldn't. He would never be able to live with himself. He leaped forward, heedless of the burning fire whose intensity nearly caused him to faint.

He collided with and pushed her aside just as Illfang roared and dropped the blade. With a clean, neat _*snip*_, the large katana sliced into Kirito's left calf.

Even as they tumbled away, Kirito's mind was blasted to pieces by the agony shooting up his leg. They rolled into the wall, both their heads smacking against the hard stone with a bone-crunching thud. Stars blinked in Kirito's vision.

His coughed, gasping for breath even though it hurt to do so. He weakly clutched at Mane, holding her small form close. She whimpered, eyes clouded with emotion and pain.

"Kirito-kun…" Mane whispered, then she lost all of her strength and fell against him.

_Mane… *Hrk* Gah…. Mane…_

"_It… hurts, Kirito-kun… It hurts… this… is pain…? It hurts… so much…"_

She slowly thought the words, punctuated by spouts of agony, and closed her eyes tiredly. Fear and pain wracked her body, causing her to shiver, even though she was tired to the point where she couldn't move herself at will.

Mane was feeling it too. The agony, the terror, the exhaustion. Kirito couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on inside her mind. Pure chaos...

Kirito squinted open his eyes, half-blinded by pain, as he felt the floor shake slightly underneath him, and dumbly beheld Illfang as the boss limped towards them. The «Nodachi» hung loose in the boss' grip, dragging along on the floor behind him. Out of four gauges, only around 3% of its HP remained.

In his own HP bar, only a few measly lines remained.

Kirito pulled Mane closer, not noticing the agony that shot up and down his chest area. He stared defiantly at the oncoming monstrosity.

The Kobold Lord halted in front of them. The smile was gone from its snout. Quietly, the gigantic katana creaked as its weight left the floor and was raised.

Kirito and Illfang silently, emotionlessly regarded each other. The black haired swordsman protectively tucked Mane tighter against him with one arm, and raised his sword with the other, ignoring the fire racing across his torso; nothing else mattered anymore. The red-skinned monster blinked twice.

Then, silently, the Nodachi dropped. It didn't even have the light of a «Sword Skill», yet both of them knew it was enough.

Kirito watched the blade drop down, closer, closer.

He closed his eyes.

"CLANG"

He opened his eyes.

A red-clad figure, gigantic tower shield held up to block the Nodachi. «Anneal Blade» held to the side.

"...Hea-*hrk* ...Heathcliff?"

With a deep grunt, the man in front of him exerted a tremendous amount of force, and actually managed to push Illfang back. He shifted forward in a defensive stance, continuously advancing, shoving them both away from the two limp players lying against the wall.

Suddenly, Kirito felt several hands grab at him. He instinctively bent over, pulling Mane in, to shield her from whoever was attacking him. He flailed around with his arm, the weapon having already dropped to the floor.

"Darn it, Kirito! I'm not an enemy! Kirito! What happened!?"

_Sirius..._

He tentatively stopped and looked up. Barely, he could just make out two silhouettes cast against the rainbow light cast by the ceiling. One of them was kneeling next to him, shaking him.

"Kirito! Are you okay!? Mane! What happened?" A muttered curse. "Darn it, respond! Say something!"

"Mane... Mane!" The other form rushed over and laid a hand on Mane's shoulder.

_...everyone..._

Heathcliff... Sirius... Asuna...

Kirito chose to somewhat relax, which turned out to be a big mistake. No longer held back, all the pain that he had been ignoring up until now drowned him like a tidal wave.

He heard muttering, then the feeling of someone dragging him. The movement flared his wound, fuel on the flames. He shuddered, shivered, whimpered.

The pain rose around him like a bonfire, burning through his entire being. Surrounded by agony.

Then the flames were doused by eternal darkness and Kirito was dropped into the void.

* * *

Kirito coughed, partly because his lungs hurt, partly because somebody was shaking him violently.

"Kirito! Wake up, darn it!"

One eye slowly opened, then squeezed shut. Cautiously, it opened again, followed by the other orb.

"Thank goodness..." He heard a sigh come in front of him. Unlike his usual exhales, this one was of relief.

The room was much darker than before, lit only by the numerous torches hung along the wall. The prismatic light from the walls and ceiling had faded, leaving the room cast in shadow.

Kirito blinked several times, clearing his clouded vision. The whole raiding party was there, some cheering, some sobbing in happiness. The sounds of celebration rang throughout the hall. People were patting each other on the back, screaming in delight, checking their stat screens as most of them had leveled up with Illfang's death.

Though, it looked like some were sobbing for a different reason.

Squad G stood aside, huddled around Mane and Kirito, separated from the rest of the party by about five meters. Their section was noticeably more quiet.

Kritio's chest throbbed. While most of the pain had subsided, his entire being still ached horribly. Moving his arm, he winced at the lances of fire that raced up his chest.

"Easy there. What happened?" Sirius softly asked.

"I...I don't know."

"We were pulling away the injured players when we saw both of you collapsing. We rushed over as fast as we could, but you took another hit." Sirius quietly literated, leaning in to let himself be heard over the celebratory din. "You nearly died. Both you and Mane. Two percent left."

Kirito shuddered, then grimaced at the retaliatory spark. "...that close?"

"Yup. You're still that close. Drink this." Sirius tapped the potion he held in his left hand.

Kirito slowly gulped it down, watching as his health bar slowly refilled. Suddenly, he bolted upright, gasping, "Mane! Where...!?"

"Easy, Kirito... she's right next to you."

He fell back, head turning. Sure enough, her prone form lay next to him. As he locked his eyes onto her, she stirred, eyes flickering open.

"Mane... are you okay? I..."

"...Kirito-kun..." She whispered his name.

"Mane... I, I'm sorry." Kirito paused, not knowing what to say.

"Here." He heard Asuna kneel down next to Mane. "Your HP is low... drink this."

Turning his head away from the girls, Kirito glanced over to see Heathcliff kneeling next to him. The red paladin laid a hand on his shoulder. His expression, surprisingly, was sad. Worried, even.

"Please... tell us everything. What happened. Every detail."

Kirito squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't talk about it. It was too confusing. But above all, it was between him and Mane. He couldn't just tell them... they probably wouldn't even understand.

"Tell them."

Mane's voice, still barely a whisper, floated over to him. His eyes blinked open, startled. Asuna backed off for a moment, before shifting next to Sirius.

"Tell them. They're friends. They have a right... to know." She sighed and fell unconscious, tired beyond belief.

But even he didn't know. What had happened, why their minds had linked, why the damage dealt to Mane had been dealt to him too, why it had all _hurt_ so much.

_How do I tell them? Even I don't know what..._

Abruptly, they were interrupted by a large round of applause. All four of them, minus Mane, looked up to see the whole raiding party clapping. Some called out various forms of praise. Stunned, Kirito watched several people wave towards them.

Agil stepped out of the crowd and walked towards them, solemn and straight. He stopped in front of them and nodded.

"We owe our victory to you guys. You three..." Agil directed to Heathcliff, Sirius, and Asuna. "...stepped in and organized us when we were in chaos after Diabel was struck down. Thank you for leading us in the final charge."

Heathcliff and Sirius simply nodded in consent. Asuna blushed and looked at her feet, suddenly shy.

Agil looked over at the fallen Kirito. He knelt down to his level, and began to speak, loud enough for the now-quiet crowd to hear.

"You helped bring our morale back. Most of us were completely terrified of that monster, the one who had nearly killed our leader in one hit. We all thought it was hopeless. But you, you and her, showed us it was possible to beat that thing. Thank you."

Kirito was completely flabbergasted and at a loss for words. "I-I, um, no-wait, Diabel? Diabel, is he okay?"

"He's fine now. Nothing a potion couldn't heal. He wants to see you later."

"Why should we thank him!?"

The sudden outburst startled both Kirito and Agil into silence with its abruptness. The giant axe-wielder straightened and moved aside, allowing Kirito to see the speaker.

Kibaou, Cactus-head himself, had shoved his way to the front of the crowd with several of Squad C. Actually, the remaining three players of Squad C, Kirito now remembered; two of them had perished.

His voice echoed loudly through the hall, now that the entire area was as silent as a tomb.

"Why should we thank this guy, this _beta tester_, this guy who let two people die and who almost killed the four of us!"

Kirito blinked in confusion. "I... let two people die?"

"Yes, you idiot beta tester!" Kibaou waved his arms indignantly. "You knew! You knew the boss' attack patterns! The way you fought, even though that monster killed..." He shuddered. "...so easily, you knew! That's how you survived! You knew that the boss data we got from the guide was wrong!"

The crowd started to whisper amongst itself.

"I bet you're on a higher level than all of us." Kibaou accused, pointing a finger. "You know, know everything, don't you? Hunting grounds, best quests, any field traps, the best items and monster drops, best skills, best techniques! You even knew the attack patterns of the boss that wasn't in that manual!"

Then his eyes lit up. "That manual... that informant. That sneaky rat. Trying to get us all killed with false information!"

The whispers rose to murmurs. Murmurs of bewilderment, but most of the party looked like they agreed with Kibaou's statement.

Kirito steeled himself, then protested, "That type of weapon... it was found on a monster on the ninth floor. It's a monster-only sword. That's how I knew. The boss, Illfang, during the beta, he still carried a Talwar. That strategy guide was correct... during the beta."

"During the beta! During the beta! It all comes down to you blasted beta testers, doesn't it!?" Kibaou roared. With a steely hiss, he ripped the sword out of its sheath and whipped it around wildly, emphasizing every word.

"Why didn't you just share all that information? Why didn't you all just do that!? Why didn't you tell us what a Talwar really looked like! We could have been more prepared! Diabel wouldn't have nearly died! My friends... they wouldn't have died if it wasn't for you! All these people here, you nearly killed them all! You filthy, cheating BETA TESTERS!"

The crowd's conversation started to become dangerous, angry looks being sent in Squad G's direction. Some of them laid their hands on their weapons.

Kirito instinctively huddled closer to Mane, eyes narrowing. The atmosphere had become unstable, hostile intent directed at him and all beta tester. His mind raced, trying to find a logical solution but simply unable to.

"All of you beta testers deserve to die. It's only right. For those two thousand people, for the two people who died today, you guys don't deserve to live. Any of you."

Kibaou ominously growled the words as he marched towards them. The sound of his boots echoed off the cold, colorless walls, ringing repeatedly. His three followers walked close behind him. The sword in his hand swung back and forth.

"I'm sure everyone would agree. Now, I'm not sure whether the rest of you bastards are beta testers, but I do know for sure that this black gutless worm sure is one of them. Curse you, all of you spineless cowards!"

Kibaou stopped in front of Kirito. Uncertain, Kirito gazed blankly into Kibaou's eyes. Like before, Kibaou emitted an intense vengeful aura. His eyes blazed with deadly emotion, mouth open in a twisted snarl. The hateful pupils dilated, looking to something over Kirito's shoulder: his HP bar. Kirito instinctively flicked his eyes towards the upper-left hand corner of his vision; he was still regenerating health, level at around 20%. The color was still bright red.

Kirito's heart dropped into the floor. Something bad was about to happen.

Cactus-head hissed, "You and your kind... you can all go to hell."

There was no time to react. With a deadly ring, the sword flashed orange and whipped around in a circle, seeking Kirito's undefended head. He could only widen his eyes in surprise.

_Wha-!?_

For a moment, Kirito watched as the flaming orange blade fell upon him in slow motion. Behind the blade, lit by the shining light, was Kibaou's face, an expression of pure revulsion upon it.

Then a blur of silver, and Sirius was there, blade glowing a dark grey as it swung forward and intercepted Kibaou's, sparks of both colors flicking off in every direction. Kibaou's eyes widened; obviously, he had not expected anybody to be able to react with such a speed.

Taking advantage of his surprise, Sirius grunted and put his full strength into a shove, breaking Kibaou's «System Assist» in a shower of light and pushing him back. The attacker wheeled his arms and stumbled backwards before being caught by his three companions.

Everyone was stunned. Even Heathcliff, normally unbreakable and unreachable, had his mouth slightly open. The raw aggressiveness of the action had done that.

Sirius and Kibaou stared at each other, incredulous to malevolence. The silver-haired boy whispered, "You would go so far as to commit a _Player Killing_?"

Player Killing. Ever since the beginning of the death game, Kirito had never forgotten that concept. The fact still remained, that outside of an area under the influence of the «Area Protection Code», a player could die from anything. Monsters, traps, falls from a great height. Even other players.

But PK now meant real death. It was akin to murder. Which meant, the man in front of him had just tried to commit murder.

To kill him. Him, Kiriyaga Kazuto, known as Kirito in this deadly world.

Kibaou grimaced and seethed with fury as his companions helped him regain his balance. "Not just me. All of us. We want _justice_ for our dead friends! _Justice_, for this disgusting beta tester! A filthy, cheating beta tester! Everyone here, knows at least one person, who died because of someone as disgusting as you!"

Despite the irrational thought behind those words, it was nonetheless true. Dark glances and mutterings were being thrown their way as many of the party members remembered loved or close ones who had died to monsters. Someone muttered a swear word, followed by "Beta Testers..."

The hostility in the air was bared, now that Kibaou had announced it. Heathcliff's armor clicked as he shifted the tower shield towards the rest of the raid party, his other hand lightly touching the «Anneal Blade» sheathed at his waist. Agil's brow furrowed as he recognized the gravity of the situation.

A slither of steel filled the air as one of Squad D drew their sword. Several other players nodded, some whispering to their comrades. Others watched the proceedings intensely. Kibaou sneered, confident in his position. They were all on his side now. They might not do the deed themselves, but they were on his side.

Kirito struggled to stand, but collapsed to one knee. He looked grimly at the players before him, each and every one of them staring with different emotions in each gaze.

He remembered reading something about this kind of situation in a book about Do-it-yourself MMO guild politics. Methods of persuasion; emotional appeal through past traumatic experiences could instantly switch someone over to your side. Kibaou had done that. Next, lead the way. Both his followers and Cactus-head himself had drawn their swords to avenge wrongs done against everyone.

He had most of the raiding party behind him. Kibaou, while, as Heathcliff had said, a little unstable, was evidently a skilled orator. Perhaps on an equal level with Diabel's skills, even.

Grudging admiration would get him nowhere in the current situation, however. Kirito knew that. The crowd was against him, and would say nothing to his death. Mane was unconscious. Asuna, Sirius, Heathcliff, and Agil were with him, but they couldn't do anything against over ten people, much less thirty-four of them.

He couldn't let them get hurt for his sorry sake. Kirito opened his mouth to talk.

"W-wait!"

The voice, young and innocent and _completely_ shattering the tension that pervaded the atmosphere rang out, and a small form pushed its way out of the crowd.

Kirito numbly watched him as the boy ran over, past a completely dumbfounded Kibaou. He stopped before him; it was the boy who had spoken out during the meeting, the boy who Kirito had taught on the second day of this game, little under a month ago. Kirito vaguely recalled them being the same age.

"Wait!"

The boy studied his face closely, before bobbing his head once and opening his mouth. "It's you! I thought you looked familiar, it is you! You're the guy that helped us!"

Kirito nodded blankly. The boy turned to the frozen party. "Guys! This is the guy I was talking about!"

A light murmur began in the crowd. The kid nodded earnestly.

"Yeah! He is! I thought he had looked familiar, he really is the guy that helped us! He's not a bad guy, even though he's a beta tester!"

Two other players ran over, and Kirito belatedly recognized them as a few of the other people that he had taught. He hadn't remembered them as clearly as he had the kid, and therefore wasn't able to identify them during the meeting and boss fight. They stood behind the kid, and they all exchanged looks of support.

"He taught all three of us! Without him, we would not have even survived the first day... beta testers aren't all bad people!"

His friends nodded in agreement. The audience began to talk, swaying between the sides, uncertain. Kibaou could feel it, and he shouted out, desperate to regain lost ground, "Don't listen to him, he's probably a beta tester himself! All of them!" He pointed indignantly at Squad G. "All of you! Thrice-blasted beta testers and their accomplices!"

But the kid, with his honest and unbiased voice and tone, proved to be far more persuasive than Kibaou's promises of violent revenge. Heathcliff carefully watched the crowd, and determined they had gained a foothold. He nodded to Agil.

Agil cleared his throat, gathering attention. "While the beta testers are certainly not blameless, they did try to help in their own ways. I'm sure many beta testers contributed to the creation of this booklet, which might have been wrong here, but has been very accurate otherwise. I'm sure some of you guys are beta testers as well... we all worked together to defeat the boss. We should look to the future, not the past, if we ever want to escape this death game."

"Thank you for that, Agil-san."

Once again, the room fell deathly silent as a familiar voice was heard. The players parted to let Diabel walk through.

The knight looked much worse for the wear. His armor, once shiny and new, now had next to zero durability left, pitted with scratches, cracks, and dents. The shield was missing, apparently destroyed, and the sword in the sheath looked battered and worn. Diabel himself looked ten times more weary, though his HP was steadily increasing due to the potion he held in his right hand. His face looked like it had aged twenty years.

"What is the meaning of this, Kibaou?" Diabel murmured, drawing everyone's attention.

For a moment, some other emotion was apparent on Kibaou's face, other than rage. It was quickly wiped and Kibaou blustered, "This disgusting person, this beta tester, he responsible for the two deaths, he's responsible for you almost dying!"

"He saved my life."

The short and simple answer was borne by a tone that radiated the words _Shut Up_. Kibaou was shocked into silence.

"He saved my life, and the fate of this raid. These people, Squad G, are the only reason we are here, in this room, victorious. We should be going back with the news, bringing hope back to the dismal state of Starting City. To all the other players who still wallow in despair. Yet here I find you..." Diabel flung his arm out contemptuously. "...here, stirring up hatred, old grudges and revenge in our finest hour. _What is the meaning of this, Kibaou?_"

"He killed two of my friends!"

"_I _killed two of your friends."

Cactus-head opened his mouth to respond, but then paused as his brain registered the unexpected words that Diabel spoke. In fact, the whole party was stunned, unable to make sense of the statement.

Diabel's tone was tinged with regret. "I killed them. It was because of my pride; I freely admit it. I thought I could take on the boss alone, so I called upon you to cover me. Even though I did not know that the weapon had changed since beta, I still should have not engaged it solo. That... was a serious error of judgement on my part."

He inclined his head towards Kibaou. "I am sorry", he whispered, yet it could be heard by everyone. "It was my fault. All of this."

Kibaou struggled, eye twitching. A conflict of emotions seemed to rage inside of him. Finally, he growled, "If this gutless worm here had just told you, then maybe-"

"None of us could have known that it had changed since the beta. There is no possible way for that to happen. Stop, Kibaou." Diabel's voice grew hard."Stop trying to frame the beta testers. The tragedy that happened here... your two friends, their deaths were not caused by beta negligence. They were caused by the madman that rules this world, Kayaba Akihiko. Or have you already forgotten that day?"

Silent and enraptured, the raid group listened as Diabel continued. Kirito listened, spellbound.

"The day when we were trapped into this horrid death game. When we lost our freedom. _This_ is what we are fighting for, Kibaou. Not revenge on beta testers. We are not fighting for the past." Diabel clenched his fist and raised it into the air. "We are fighting for our future. Our freedom, our liberation from this world. And to do that, we need to work together."

"No more, Kibaou. We need all the help we can get. We must work together, beta tester or not. Please, Kibaou, do not hate; a hateful heart is the most dangerous weapon of all."

The emptiness that filled the room was unfathomable. Diabel slowly lowered his arm.

Heathcliff moved, politely bringing his gauntleted hands together, clapping. Slowly, the room, was filled with the sound of applause as they followed Heathcliff's lead, cheers and whistles from one or two people. Kibaou stood in the middle of it all, frozen to the spot and completely incredulous.

As the applause faded away, Kibaou regained control of his motor and vocal functions. Closing and opening his fist, he desperately spluttered, "This beta tester! This filthy cheater! H-he, he tried to attack me! He's an evil, selfish-"

Diabel turned an icy gaze upon him. A gaze filled with cool disgust. "He is far better than you, a person who attempted murder. On one of the two people responsible for our victory, no less. The very person who saved my life!"

"Kibaou."

His name was like a bucket of cold water. Cactus-head backed up.

Diabel's order was swift and unforgiving. "If you refuse to stop disturbing the peace, Kibaou, leave. There is no room for irrational hate among us."

"Wh-wha!?"

"Leave. If you refuse to stop hating beta testers, you will never, ever be able to help clear the game."

Kibaou's eye twitched, his mouth open in a perfect "o". He looked around; it was evident that no one among the party was on his side anymore. This time, everyone was looking at _him_ with hostility.

He gritted his teeth, turning towards Kirito, who was still kneeling on the floor. The words that followed dripped with raw hatred. The orbs above gleamed with primal fury.

"You... beta tester. Mark my words, someday... all you cheating betas will suffer. I guarantee, I will make sure that, all you beta testers will GO TO HELL, AND ROT IN IT!"

Kibaou whipped around and stormed off towards the exit. His companions, Squads C and D, followed him. Just before he reached the door, Kibaou turned to fire one last word back at Kirito.

"_Beater._"

And with that, he crossed over the green edge of the boss room's floor and vanished into the darkness beyond.

* * *

Diabel stood alone with Squad G in the boss room as he saw off the remaining players of the party. With the death of Illfang, for an hour, all monsters would disappear from the dungeon, so the boss raiders would be able to travel back to safety peacefully. Due to that, there was no problem for them to go back slightly later.

The raid leader's knowledge of that furthered Kirito's assumption. They watched the last stragglers head out of the boss room before turning to face each other. Silently regarding each other.

Kirito had mostly recovered by now, still feeling incredibly sore. Mane still lay unconscious in a fitful sleep, shuddering from time to time. He knelt down and gently slipped an arm around her shoulder and under her legs, picking her up.

She seemed to calm down a little, snuggling against Kirito's shoulder. He smiled slightly, the first sign of positive emotion he had displayed for a long time. The expression faded as he looked back up at Diabel.

"You were a beta tester."

It wasn't a question, but a statement. Diabel nodded solemnly.

"And that final solo attack wasn't because of your pride. It was-"

"The «Last Attack Bonus» rare item. Correct." Diabel hung his head. "It was a foolish thing to do. It cost the lives of two members of this raiding party... their demise was my fault."

Squad G silently regarded Diabel's sullen form as he gathered his thoughts, then the knight looked back up. "It was my fault. So that is why... I will fight for the clearing of this death game. Not for myself, anymore. For everyone trapped in this world."

He directed his words at Kirito. "You saved my life; I am forever in your debt."

Kirito opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Sirius. He cleared his throat before stepping forward. "Diabel, about Kibaou."

"That man... yes?"

"What will happen to him?" Sirius gestured with his arm towards Kirito and Mane. "That guy just tried to PK Kirito, tried to kill him! Is it really alright to just let him waltz away like that?"

"We can't do anything." Diabel frowned thoughtfully. "PK is a very serious issue. I don't think, anyone other than those who participated in the raiding party, will believe us if we told them. The concept of death and killing, the people in starting city cannot fully understand it yet. And we ourselves cannot punish Kibaou. Unless you want to commit retaliatory PK?"

Sirius quickly shook his head. Diabel glanced at his upturned palm "There you have it. I, personally, would like to see him reprimanded, but there is no concrete justice system in this world. In fact, Player Killing is allowed by the system. It is encouraged in a game such as this. This is still, fundamentally, a game, with PvP capabilities. Thus, we can do nothing."

The silver-haired boy scowled. "There must be something we can do! We can't just-"

Asuna moved closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Sirius flinched at the touch, before looking into the girl's face. Something passed between them, and he sighed, deflating slightly.

"...I'm sorry. Yes. But is there anything we could do to prevent it in the future?"

"PKing during the beta caused the cursor to turn orange", Diabel recalled absently. "Orange cursored players are not allowed into the villages, and are therefore never protected by the «Area Protection Code». After a week or so, the cursor will return to normal, but repeated PKs may result in a permanent change." The knight thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps, if I can spread the word of this, any future attempts to kill will be stopped."

Asuna blinked, before venturing, "I don't think that would really help, though."

"It will. Everyone, all the players in Aincrad, are afraid of death. Without the protection of the «Code», they will never have respite from possible death. Which will encourage people not to PK, I hope." Diabel sank back into thought before shaking his head. "Kibaou was a freak case. I'm sure only a few people would dare to go that far in the future. You needn't worry."

Sirius sighed. "Thank you for trying, anyway."

Heathcliff coughed politely, before notifying them, "Half an hour remains until monsters will reappear in the dungeon. We had best activate the transport portal to the second floor and head back."

"Yes, we had better." Diabel turned away. "I think you five should do it. We do owe our victory to you, after all."

"We're not going back."

Two surprised sets of eyes and one neutral fell upon Kirito as he uttered his statement. Only Sirius didn't react, as he and Kirito had already discussed this before. Mane was still asleep.

"We... Mane, Sirius, and I. We're going to go directly onto the second floor and head to the village there. We can activate the gate as we pass through. The teleport gate on the first floor will be connected two hours later."

Sirius nodded silently in confirmation. Diabel looked at them questioningly, then seemed to realize something, and tilted his head understandably. Asuna blinked several times.

"We will scout ahead." Sirius offered. Heathcliff consented, armor clanking as he stepped back.

"Very well. It is your choice. Do stay safe."

Kirito wondered if he had felt slightly awkward in the conversation; he had barely said a word. Sirius stepped forward and motioned Asuna aside, before talking to her quietly.

Then Kirito focused back on Diabel.

"And Diabel, you saved us by sending Kibaou off. We're even, alright? No debt."

Diabel grudgingly smiled. "Very well."

Mane groaned, then murmured something unintelligible before sighing and relaxing again in Kirito's arms. Kirito took a moment to watch her face, then a glowing light caught his attention and he looked up.

|| Diabel would like to be your friend!

|| - Accept

|| - Decline

"Just in case." Diabel added.

Kirito moved to accept, then realized both his hands were occupied. He shifted uncomfortably, tilting Mane forwards so he could touch the "accept" button.

"Well... I must take my leave now. You three are continuing, correct?" Nods from Kirito. Diabel turned to Heathcliff and Asuna. "What about you two?"

Heathcliff merely inclined his head towards the exit, signifying that he would return to «Tolbana». Sirius and Asuna exchanged some final words, before Sirius sent a friend request to Asuna. She accepted, then to Diabel: "I'll go back down."

"Very well." Diabel looked back at the three who were leaving. "Here we part ways. Farewell."

Kirito nodded silently. The three of them turned and began their way back. Heathcliff watched them for a few seconds more, searching them with a piercing gaze. Then he turned to follow.

Both he and Sirius watched as they stepped out of the room, fading into the darkness. Sirius watched Asuna closely; before she disappeared from sight, she gave a fleeting smile to Sirius.

_Perhaps she does have some hope now after all._

Then Kirito looked at Sirius and cheekily asked, "So you found yourself a girlfriend?"

Sirius spluttered and nearly choked. Kirito laughed out loud. It felt good to laugh.

"Wha-wha-!? No!"

Kirito's mirth quieted down into a chuckle, before he smiled. "Just joking."

Sirius glared at him before the corner of his mouth twitched upwards as well.

_Friends... it feels... nice to have friends._

Friends he could rely on. Mutual bonds of trust.

Kirito wondered for a while, what had really happened back there? They had always been able to hear each other's thoughts randomly, but during that fight, it was as if they were completely connected. He still remembered, they had somehow shared their mind and body.

He looked down and watched her peaceful sleeping face. The face that looked so much like his.

_Whatever it was... she will always be my friend._

"Kirito, let's go." Sirius waved over towards the opposite end of the hall, where a large door was inscribed into the wall.

The boy moved along, pausing as Mane shifted in his arms. She let out a long breath and relaxed.

When Sirius laid a hand on the door, it creaked open, revealing a staircase. Kirito could see a faint blue glow up ahead, coming from the swirl of power that was the teleport gate to the second floor.

The light danced on their faces, a swirl of blue color alighting from the wall to their faces to the open doorway; a shining ball of lux levitating in the air between two stone columns that arced over the sphere. It pulsed from time to time, spilling tendrils of cyan into the air.

Sirius gestured. "You go first."

Kirito stepped forward, then suddenly thought of Kibaou. He knew the rage that man had, the burning fire in his eyes. Something twinged inside of him.

_He really hates beta testers. _

And just now, that descending sword, that face full of evil satisfaction, unnerved Kirito. That man had the will to kill. It was something he had never experienced before, killing intent with your life on the line. Kirito let out a deep, shuddering breath.

He blinked as he remembered something and turned to face Sirius. "Thank you... for saving me. From Kibaou."

"Don't thank me." His silver hair appeared to shine with latent luster under the gate. "We're friends. Friends do that for each other."

Kirito opened his mouth, then closed it. A warm feeling of gratitude rose up in him, and he swallowed before dipping his head.

He looked back at the glowing nexus of power, and stepped forward into it.

* * *

**Author's**** Note**

**Fun stuff. Yayz~  
**

**At least this wasn't the 26,000 chapter I had planned originally. Thanks once again to Catsy for the help.  
**

**Well, we see something interesting between Mane and Kirito! Nothing much else to say...  
**

**Now, I will probably take a week off so I can 1) brainstorm a bit more and plot more stuffz and 2) catch up on school. Gosh, I really need to catch up, I've got a B+ in AP US History x.x  
**

**Well, until next time, Bai bai~  
**

**Review Answers**

**I've noted the fact that my story is a little different from Canon. Durability is a separate value, not counted in enhancements. Vitality exists, whereas in canon is was only strength and agility. Well, I sort of didn't know that when I started writing, so it's set in stone now! But it feels more right this way anyways, so Durability will stay separate, and vitality will continue to exist.  
**

**Sirius will probably have his past threshed out in later chapters, but not this one. Maybe next chapter, though.  
**

**Again, romance won't be the main point of the story. There will be tinges of it, I hope, though. Makes it slightly more interesting.  
**

* * *

**Thanks to RainbowLalaland and all my friends on the SAO chat for helping with this chapter!  
**

* * *

**I do not own Sword Art Online. All canon characters and setting belongs to Kawahara Reki. The OCs and story itself belong to me.  
**


	8. Chapter 7: Light of the Past

"Hmm... Interesting."

The clicking of keys filled the void as he typed in a few more commands, then he watched the screen that popped up, listening to the audio only he could hear. Not that there was anyone else around him to listen.

Absently chewing on his lip, the man swiped the window aside and made an elegant gesture. Three new popups materialized around him, each bearing lines upon lines of code. To the average person, the information would have been decoded as gibberish. But the man nodded knowingly as he scanned through the program, the light of the screen reflecting off of his eyes.

All around the man and his terminal was darkness. A few bubbles rose here and there, perhaps allowing one to guess that they were deep in the ocean, a place where no light could penetrate. It certainly explained why the man was floating. Except that there was no water and they weren't crushed by the deep sea pressure.

A sigh came from the man, echoing through the empty space off of something. He idly perched his head on his hand and continued scrolling down the list. Eventually, he came to an area that caught his attention. He settled down and began to study it carefully.

Several minutes passed in complete silence.

Then he let out a deep breath and leaned back, stretching. The corner of his mouth tightened as he apparently found his problem.

"...well, this was an experimental program anyway...", he muttered to himself.

He typed in a few lines on a virtual keyboard in front of him, and watched the video on the popup that materialized. Its glow danced on his face, a multitude of colors and the occasional flash. His eyes narrowed, watching the contents of the screen carefully, noting every detail, no matter how trivial.

There was a certain action in that video that made him wince. As he watched the scene unfold, he commented, "Ouch."

Eventually, the screen blinked out, once again dropping the room into near darkness. Nothing moved, nor were any noises made.

The man finally broke the silence, talking to himself.

"Well, the system has been finalized… there's nothing I can do about it."

Quiet.

A sigh. "Bugs... the difference between a bug and a feature can be so unclear. Hmm..."

More silence.

"Oops."

* * *

**Chapter 7: Light of the Past**

* * *

"What's a truck?"

"A truck is a kind of car with a large open container behind it designed to carry stuff."

"What's a car?"

Kirito gave Mane a deadpan stare. "I thought we told you before already."

"Did you? I think I forgot…"

Sirius gave another of his trademark sighs, while Kirito simply placed his hand on his forehead, as if he had a headache. Which he did; Mane always seemed to forget what they told her.

"A car is a thing people use to transport themselves around. It uses wheels and an engine to run, and it's a lot faster than walking, though not teleporting. It's shaped like-"

Mane interjected, "What's an engine?"

Kirito's head snapped up and he outright glared at her, to which she cutely tilted her head in confusion. Almost immediately, he could feel his annoyance being siphoned away by that innocent look; he could never stay mad at her.

Sirius obliged to explain. "A car engine is a contraption that generates power through burning gasoline. It's what provides the strength for the car to run."

Mane looked thoughtful for a moment, then perked up. "What's gasoline?"

Kirito's eye twitched as he searched his mind for a description that wouldn't lead to more questions.. "It's like… food for the car, but it's a liquid. It's all the car needs to run, though. Understand?"

The girl nodded repeatedly, an earnest smile on her face. "So the car eats gasoline, which goes through its stomach, the engine, so it can have enough energy to carry people around?"

"That's the basic gist of it, yes."

"Yay! I understand cars!"

Kirito's mouth twitched into a smile at her enthusiasm. Having lost all her memories of the real world, she was always interested in finding out more information about reality. Always listening and then asking questions for clarification, fascinated by whatever she heard.

Mane suddenly seemed to deflate as she thought of something. "Um, Kirito-kun, Sirius, what's a contraption? I didn't really completely understand that."

Perhaps too many questions.

Both males sighed and flopped onto their backs, their fall cushioned by the soft forest floor. "I'll tell you next time." Kirito groaned.

"Okay!" Mane lay down next to them and stretched, yawning like a cat.

Kirito watched them both for a moment, then turned his head to look at the slightly shimmering white boundary that marked the end of the safe zone. Of course, taking a nap in a forest area, teeming with monsters and hostile plant life, was akin to suicide, but in a safe zone, one could rest without worry. Monsters could not cross the holy line, and one leaving the area had a few second of invulnerability to monster attacks.

He looked upwards, at the clear blue sky that could just be seen through the canopy of leaves and branches above them. Of course, he couldn't see the sun, but the light streaming into their little space was enough.

A month had passed since the clearing of the first floor. Passing with the flow of time, they front lines were currently on the eighth floor. Their little group of three were also on the eighth floor, in a side area containing the target mob for a rewarding quest.

Many things had changed since the defeat of «Illfang the Kobold Lord». With the fall of the lizard king, the news that the first floor had been cleared had spread like wildfire. They simply couldn't believe that, after a month of giving up, a glimmer of hope had appeared. That it was actually possible to clear this game of life and death. Most dismissed the news as complete nonsense.

Thousands flocked to the «Teleport Gate» in the center of Starting City's plaza after hearing the news from players who had witnessed it: Inactive for a month, the stone columns sparked to life and fired up, runes glowing a deep powerful blue. Several tested it and confirmed it: the first floor had indeed been cleared, and the gate connected to the Gate in the center of the second floor's hub town, «Urbus».

There had been a huge commotion at this news, as people finally realized what had happened. They cried, several hugged random strangers in gladness, some others organized their friends and family, and went straight out into the fiends with gusto.

Which should have been suicidal. Most of them hadn't held their weapons even once in their lives, and if they had really gone out there, unprepared, they would have been slaughtered to a man, with no means of fighting back.

Fortunately, Klein and his friends, along with some of the people Kirito had taught, were there to catch them. They had predicted this would happen; that with the news, many people would rush out into the fields to help with the clearing effort, unprepared. Stationing themselves at each gate, they had stopped every person going out, asking if they knew the basics of «Sword Art Online's» Combat system, «Sword Skills». If their answer had been no, they would have been pulled aside and taught how to survive in this death game. When they were ready, they would have been told to pass on the word to other people, to help them live. In this way, Klein and his friends had saved well over a thousand lives. Kirito had been especially glad when he heard.

Of course, with less than twenty people, they couldn't catch everyone. After the news of a few pointless deaths out in the fields around Starting City, Diabel, who had been elevated to high status because of his position in the boss raid, organized a team of players to guard each gate of the city to help make sure everyone knew the basics of combat.

He had been joined by an influential character in helping the new players. Thinker, the creator and administrator of the popular gaming website «MMO Today» used his fame and leverage to found a player relief group, named the «Aincrad Liberation Force». It distributed food, col, supplies, and information to newer players so they could have a better chance at life in Sword Art Online.

The number of players actively grinding and progressing through the game skyrocketed after that. Before, the only other contact Kirito had outside of Mane and Sirius was with the rare beta tester or player who had dared to leave the safety of the walls and survived. Now, meeting a whole entire party of players while questing out in the wilds became a common occurrence.

It was no wonder then, that the second floor was cleared in a little under two weeks. The boss fight, once again heralded and led by Diabel, had a raiding party of over two hundred eager participants. Diabel had to send away over a hundred others due to the fact that they were at a level low enough to be considered "unsafe".

The «Minotaur» lay at the end of the dungeon's twentieth floor, which had been modeled in the pattern of a labyrinth, like the old Greek myth. Roughly around the same height as Illfang had been the «Minotaur» wielded a large two-handed axe, and while its attack patterns were relatively simple and did not change, its «Strength» stat was through the roof, and its «Agility» had been nothing to scoff at either.

Diabel, now extremely cautious in his leadership, ordered for the first battle to simply be a scouting battle. Everyone should be on guard, he had said, for any special pattern changes or unique deadly attributes the boss may possess. He ordered everyone to retreat at the slightest sign of trouble.

But there had been no need for that. The boss, while challenging, was relatively simple. The "scouting battle" turned out to be the "final battle" as the «Minotaur's» HP bars were dropped to zero, every player still tense, awaiting something strange to happen. Nothing did happen, so the boss was slain then and there.

The celebration that followed was even larger than the first floor's. Any doubts people had about clearing the game were swept away, and Diabel had been hailed as a hero.

The clearing slowed down a little after the fifth floor, where the NPC «Guildmaster» could be found. Now that guilds could be organized, Diabel wasted no time in creating a clearing group: the «Divine Dragon Alliance». It quickly became very popular and famed as one of the top clearing groups. It now consisted of around a hundred people.

Heathcliff had also formed a small guild, called the «Knights of Blood». He had offered Kirito and Mane a place in the guild with a small smile, knowing that the answer would be "no". His goal, he explained, was to gather a group of the strongest players to help clear the game. Kirito had wished him good luck and went on his way.

Later, he heard from the «Rat» that Asuna had joined the Knights. Sirius had perked up at the information, but gave no comment.

Klein formed a mildly popular guild as well, named «Fuurinkazan». Kirito had been surprised when he found out that they consisted of the other people he had taught as well as Klein's friends. Their help in teaching the newer players made them relatively well known, though not as much as the «Divine Dragon Alliance» and the «Aincrad Liberation Force».

Once guilds could be made, the group lead by Thinker became an official guild, and the largest of all of them. The force welcomed any players, and quickly became both a strong presence in the field and at the home front, supporting players and distributing information and supplies. Their main goal was to provide motivation to clear the game, at which they succeeded admirably. Kirito had heard their numbers had swelled to over a thousand.

Of course, maintaining order among such a large group was nigh impossible for Thinker alone to achieve, and thus he designated for the force to be led by several people. Kirito had heard about Thinker; thoughtful, kind, very considerate of others. But Kirito had also heard rumours of discord and trouble among the other leaders. Power plays and lust for authority.

More disturbingly, he heard that Kibaou was one of them. After the hateful cactus-head had nearly PKed him, Kirito had always wondered what happened to the man. Perhaps he had expected him to be punished in some way. But for him to be one of the top authorities in Aincrad, with that kind of mindset and hate against beta testers, was a little unnerving.

So far, though, nothing was wrong with the «Aincrad Liberation Force». Nothing bad had happened yet, and Kirito had learned from Argo that Kibaou was actually training newer players in combat quite well. Perhaps cactus-head had mellowed out a little, Argo commented. She had heard what had happened after Illfang's defeat, from one of her informants, no doubt.

However, upon remembering Kibaou's last words to him, Kirito wasn't so sure.

These recent month had passed without incident. With the creation of the clearing guilds and player relief from the Force, life in Aincrad had improved drastically. The clearing effort was far more organized, with the Divine Dragon Alliance leading the way, followed by the several official clearing guilds. The «Aincrad Liberation Force» took care of all the players below the front lines, making sure their lives were okay and that everyone had the proper information and preparation.

Everything seemed to have settled down. There was actually a structure of society now, with nobody being left out of the effort except if they wanted to be left out. There was, of course, the large number of people who refused to step out of the safety of Starting City, but there was still a huge increase in the number of active players. Certainly, it had been better than that dreary, desolate existence during the first floor.

Kirito snapped out of his thoughts and looked over at his two friends. The girl sighed in her sleep, wiggling slightly into a more comfortable position. She twitched now and then as her dreams took her to distant lands of imagination.

Upon watching her peaceful face, Kirito was abruptly reminded of the first boss fight, when that weird phenomenon occurred. He gingerly traced his chest where he had felt that fire burning his flesh and turning his brain to mush.

He still did not understand how that had happened. For a while after that incident, he had not been able to sense her thoughts, nor could she sense his. Gradually, they managed to somewhat feel each other again, but Kirito was wary of these connections now.

Mane had been unusually quiet during that time. Once, she even crawled into his bed in the inn room and huddled next to him, eyes screwed shut. Kirito guessed it was trauma; with her memory loss, she apparently had forgotten the sensation of pain, and the realization must have shocked her. Over time, though, she seemed to recover.

They had discussed the phenomenon a little, and after a few tests Kirito confirmed that they could only hear each other when they were thinking the same things. Why, he still did not know. Neither could they replicate the feeling of being completely connected, nor did Kirito want to. He shuddered again at the memory of the pain, then looked at Sirius.

Sirius' eyes were open, staring into the sky just as Kirito had been a moment ago. Sirius had listened to what they figured out, but couldn't come up with an explanation either. He seemed to take the news well, though. Kirito had feared he would view him and Mane as freaks or something, but Sirius had been understanding...

And a good friend.

Kirito studied him for a bit, then softly called his name.

"Sirius?"

He shifted and his eyes flicked over to where Kirito was. "It's nothing. I'm just thinking."

His answer was short and to the point, tone blunt and leaving no room for a reply. Kirito hesitated, then continued, "She's asleep now, she should be safe here. Do you want to go do...?"

"Go complete it. Bring us a nice meal later. I'll look over Mane. We'll meet in the village at that chef's restaurant at 4:00."

Kirito frowned. They had planned to do it together.

"Sirius... are you okay?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking about... things that have passed."

Kirito was reluctant, but he knew Sirius would never budge once he made a decision. He nodded. "I'll be off then."

"Take your time, Kirito." Sirius turned his head and gave a weak attempt at a smile. "Don't get lost."

"I won't. I'll get all of us some good food. Might make you feel better."

Sirius turned back towards the sky and murmured, "So it may."

Neither of them moved, then Kirito silently got up and checked his map, before walking out of the Safe Zone. He looked back once, making sure they were okay, then started jogging in a general Northwestern direction.

The silver-haired boy watched him run off, his eyes dimly luminescent in the shadows of the leaves above him.

* * *

In the kitchen of one of the NPC restaurants in eighth floor's most populated town, «Friben», the chef was offering a quest that could be done once a day, «The Savory Boar Dish». In exchange for gathering greens and a cut of boar meat from a rare but powerful mob around these forests, the quester gained no col, but a high amount of experience and a free meal with the same name as the quest. It was actually quite delicious, and Kirito was sure Mane would enjoy the surprise.

He and Sirius had decided to surprise her with the yummy dish, as well as gaining some very nice experience points on the side. But now it seemed that Sirius was not feeling all that well. Kirito knew from his silence and cryptic words that he still hadn't completely gotten over the death of his friends.

_...he'll be fine... I hope._

Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, Kirito crouched in the underbrush, peering through the gaps between the leaves at the monsters in the clearing beyond. A group of «Nepents» wandered around in the open, hissing from time to time and curling their vines apprehensively. Much larger than the «Little Nepents» on the first floor, though at Kirito's level, not much of a threat at all.

After some scrutinization and thought, Kirito decided that it would not be worth the time to clear away the small fry, and stealthily crept away. This area should also contain several parties or perhaps solo players, as this was a good farming spot on the front lines. It wouldn't do if someone slew the target mob before he got there; he'd have to spend around twenty minutes waiting for it to respawn. Wasted time. Plus, he couldn't be late.

His black coat, blending in with the shadows among the leaves, gave him a decent enough «Hiding» bonus to avoid detection by the alert «Nepents». Silently, he slipped away unnoticed.

For around ten minutes, he weaved around small mob camps and drew ever closer to the cliff face on the Northwest corner of this forest zone. When he stood in the shadow of the stone wall, he slowed down, ears perked for any sign of a nearby hostile.

He sensed only one. Creeping slowly forward, he inched towards the edge of the thicket he was concealed in, gently prying one of the fat leaves down so he could see past it. At first, he could see nothing; then the beast lumbered into view, snorting and pawing at the ground. Focusing on it, he could see its full health bar, red cursor, and name, «Apers Boar». The target mob for the quest.

It was quite a large foe, beefy shoulders nearly making contact with the canopy of leaves in the trees around it. Its face appeared squashed, snout wobbling dangerously as it took several angry snorts. It vented its rage on a nearby tree, gouging deep scars across the trunk. While most objects in towns were classified as «Immortal Objects», most constructs in the field could be damaged, carrying a durability value. They were known as «Obstacles», and included things ranging from trees to old ruins to debris.

Like all boars, Kirito mused, its AI was nothing but simple algorithms and scripted behavior. If there was a target, charge at it. That was all there was to its attack patterns. Although, it was backed up by its enormous «Strength» stat, so it was nothing for the average player to laugh at either.

However, Kirito wasn't the average player; although he was not completely aware of it, he, Mane, and Sirius were among the top ten players in Aincrad. Even on the eighth floor, all three of them were already at level twenty-two, a result of long hours of grinding and farming for experience.

Mane always complained about the monotonous boredom of it all, but, without fail, stopped talking once Kirito handed her some food. She was simple in that way. Yet, deep down, Kirito knew she understood this was necessary in order to clear the game.

In other words, this «Apers Boar» was no threat to him. It was at a mere level fifteen, Kirito knew, and armed with this information, he dashed out of his hiding spot. In one smooth movement, his blade pulsed with dark light and sliced deep into the monster's side before it could react.

It whipped around and screamed, a horrible pig-scream that grated at Kirito's sensitive ears. Without sparing a moment, it charged with tremendous force, shaking the ground with every step. Nimbly, Kirito leaped aside, rolling and coming back to his feet using the momentum.

The pig, knowing it had missed its target, skidded to a halt. Kirito's weapon shined once again and descended towards the monster's unprotected back. «Fury Edge» activated and he dealt two swift strikes and for good measure, thrust the blade once more to deal a large amount of damage before falling back.

Now thoroughly infuriated, the «Apers Boar» screamed again and charged with even more force. «Rage» based monsters, such as boars and other barbaric enemies, grew stronger when damage was dealt to them, at the cost of some of their defensive instincts. Which suited Kirito just fine; he daringly skipped around the boar's charge and scored a lacerating hit along its side.

Being a mid-boss, however, the boar had quite the amount of «Vitality». When Kirito focused on the monster's cursor and HP again, he noted his previous endeavors had only taken off around twenty percent of its health. That was a lot less than the other nearby mobs; they would have already been defeated, their HP depleted.

The boar once again turned and pawed the ground, eyes burning bright red with rage and hate. It's mouth was slightly open in a sort of twisted snarl, and its snout wobbled dangerously.

Abruptly, Kirito was reminded of Kibaou. The strange thought made him shake his head.

He tensed as the boar charged again, poised on the balls of his feet, ready to spring to either side and counterattack.

* * *

Shifting into a more comfortable position, Sirius closed his eyes and breathed out. In, and out. In, and out. Wearily, he reopened them and stared straight up.

For some reason, now, he felt inclined to remember. Groaning quietly, he grasped the side of his head with his hand. His mind just couldn't seem to focus on the present, and he could feel the tendrils of the past reaching out for him.

Perhaps the nonstop training of the last few days was starting to get to him. Sirius had always woken up earlier or slept later than the other two in his group, fighting more and more to get even stronger than he was now. He yawned, letting out a "Fwaahhh" sound.

Raising his hand to shield his eyes, he squinted at the scene above him. The canopy of vegetation appeared dark, silhouetted against the sunlight above it. Tree branches raised above his head, as if holding up the green leaves.

_It was a cool, dark, and hollow room. The elaborate arches arced high above his head._

The gentle light filtered in through the gaps in between, casting rays and columns of light that danced as the dust moved through it.

_A dim, misty light filtered through the warped glass windows, providing minimal illumination upon the large block of life and death in the middle of the structure._

The monument...

_He stepped forward, dread clinging to his heart. He had heard what this monument stood for, and had no reason to doubt it. Their names were on there, no doubt._

_He had tried to distance himself from the truth. What had happened naught but a little under two hours ago, he had tried to persuade himself, this was a dream. They couldn't be dead._

_The black haired-boy suddenly stepped forward and ran to the left end of the tablet. The girl, so similar to him, followed, casting curious glances over the room. He himself walked slowly up towards a section somewhere near the opposite end, looking for a certain name._

'_The S's...'_

_He found the first S-name: Saba__. No line crossed through it as it pulsed gently, with the meaning of life._

'_This guy... must really like sushi.'_

_The next one: Sade. An unmerciful line had dulled the name, leaving it a soulless etching into the cool, stone surface of the obelisk._

_His heart dropping ever lower into the void pits of his stomach, his finger, ice cold by now, traced down the list of words with the fantastic speed of a glacier. He let out a pent-up breath; it might have just been his imagination, but he thought he could see the air condense into white steam in front of him._

_Surely the room wasn't that cold._

_Or perhaps that was just him. His entire being froze as the tip of his finger alighted upon a certain name, bluntly scratched through with the straight line of death._

'_Soichi...'_

_He could feel the tears beginning to form in his eyes, and gritting his teeth, he wiped them away before they could flow. He could still remember her, chestnut hair dancing in the sunlight as both of them and all of their friends danced in fun in the real world._

_Squeezing his eyes shut, he stayed there for a minute, then continued searching. It didn't take him long to find them all, all of them with their names defaced by that cold, ugly line. _

_All of them._

_He dipped his head and clenched his fist, shoulders shaking. The obelisk was icy cold under his hand._

'_So they're gone... gone forever.'_

'_Makoto, Susumu, Jun, Katsumi, Hayato... and Soichi...'_

_His chest heaved, and he quietly sobbed. All alone in the darkness._

_Several minutes passed in sadness. He despaired, shaking, and his a part of his agony turned to anger. Anger at the unjustness of this game, Kayaba Akihiko, all of it. Why would he do this? Why would he just tear away the lives of so many people, so many individuals lives with their memories and hopes and dreams, why would he doom them all to oblivion?_

_He remembered the pigs, the boars that had killed them all. The saliva drooling from the open mouths, eyes bright with artificial hate. Simple algorithms, created by Akihiko, that had killed live human beings._

_He raised his head and stared at the last name he had checked._

_A tap on his shoulder. "Sirius?" _

_He ignored it. A moment of silence._

_The boy behind him seemed to come to an understanding. "Oh... Was he... one of your...?"_

_He nodded slowly. The name in front of him, dull, black, and grey, read Susumu._

_Susumu... he was always the optimistic one..._

_He realized he had said his thoughts out loud, and tacked on, "A pretty nice guy..."_

_There was a light pressure on his shoulder, and he looked at the boy beside him. His face was full of sorrow. _

_Sirius sighed and walked away._

* * *

The dark afterglow had not even faded from his blade when the «Apers Boar» screamed its final scream and burst into the cloud of shards signaling its death. With a little dingling sound, the rewards window filtered into view, detailing the decent amount of col and experience dropped.

Breathing lightly through his nose, Kirito straightened and lowered his blade and stance. With a flick of his finger, he dismissed the results screen, causing it to quickly swing around him and vanish. He knew, in his stats screen, his exp bar would be slowly registering the new experience, and his virtual wallet would be getting slightly fatter.

Kneeling, he picked up the fat, neatly cut piece of meat that had appeared on the ground and with a shimmering effect, it vanished into his inventory. A small dinging sound rang out as his quest log updated to reflect its completion, and the name of the quest glowed bright gold before the log disappeared in the same way the rewards screen had.

With a sigh, he turned to return to the village. Now that he had claimed the quest item, there wasn't any hurry in heading back. Perhaps he could hunt those «Nepents» he had seen crawling around for extra experience. They didn't have much defense anyway, and with his high «Agility» stat, he didn't have much to fear from their offense. They had too long of a wind-up to their attacks to be effective.

Pondering his next move, he wandered down into the underbrush in the general direction back to «Friben». The leaves rustled quietly as he passed, and he stooped low to avoid a stray branch as he continued on his way.

The sky seemed to be slightly dimmer than before, and Kirito idly flicked his eyes towards the chronometer in the corner of his vision: 2:57. Almost three o'clock, late afternoon. He yawned and continued on his way.

He entered a clearing and left it with slightly more exp and col than before. The poor «Nepents» didn't even stand a ghost of a chance.

Kirito began to jog, picking up his pace. His mouth slightly watered at the thought of the food that awaited him once he completed the quest. In exchange for not rewarding any col, the meal that the quester received was of pretty high quality. Savory was in its name; savory it was. It was enough for three people, which was perfect for the three of them.

Plus, he was sure Mane would love this dish.

He abruptly shook his head and swallowed. It wouldn't do for him to let down his guard out here in the wilderness. Even if it hadn't been a death game with his life at stake, he wouldn't have risked the «Death Penalty» most MMORPG games carried. Banishing the thought of food to the back of his mind, he scanned the area with his increased awareness from his «Searching Skill».

He heard a rustling to his left.

Instinctively pressing himself against a nearby tree, Kirito slowly peeked around the trunk. He could not see anything yet, but he could hear grunts and movement from somewhere in the bushes.

Squinting hard, he could make out the faint outline of their cursors through the leaves. Neither of them were the red of a computer-controlled enemy, so they were obviously players. One of them was green. Disturbingly, the other cursor was a sickly shade of orange.

Kirito frowned. Orange was the color of a criminal player, either someone who had stolen things using the «Thievery» skill or - more ominously - had attacked and killed another player. The orange player might have just been a thief, but thieves usually just hung around cities. Thieves usually had next to no combat stats, relying on others to generate their income before stealing from them.

But out here, so close to the front lines, the only kind of person who carried an orange cursor would have to be a Player Killer. Kirito tensed, ready to fight or flee, if needed. But then he wondered, something felt off about the positions of the cursors.

The bushes shook, and out came two people. One person supporting the other, unconscious, on his shoulder. Their breathing was heavy, and the man who was still standing was looking back the way he came in a frantic manner.

Kirito lowered his weapon, blinking, a confused and thoughtful expression on his face. They sure didn't look like Player Killers, and surprisingly, the one with the orange cursor was the one being supported. His arm swung limply with the back and forth motion.

They looked very similar. Both looked slightly foreign, with neat hair and the same nose. Both were quite handsome-looking, although the carrier's face was scrunched up with some tense emotion.

Then Kirito realized both their HP bars were not green. Yellow and Red, the red one belonging to the one with the orange cursor. He was almost dead, and squinting closely, he could see the level dropping even more, second by second.

DoT effects. Standing for «Damage-over-Time», it was a common lasting effect of many lance/spear skills. Effectively mimicking the "blood loss" effect from real life puncture wounds, once a person was injured by the weapon, they would suffer continuous bonus damage for a while. Sometimes it was simply a nice augment to their attacks, but sometimes it could also pick off a fleeing enemy.

It might pick this one off too. After a few seconds of watching, Kirito could see he wouldn't be able to survive this DoT. Some lance skills did next to no damage, but left a horrendous DoT that usually required several potions to counteract. It seemed the two had run out of potions and crystals as well; at least, they weren't using any, and people on the front lines always had enough potions and crystals at the ready. It was how they stayed alive.

Kirito hesitated. His instincts told him to stay back; this was an orange person, and most likely a player killer. Only a player killer would be out on the front lines with an orange cursor. But he was about to die, and there was a green player helping him. Of course, the green player could be a mole, one of those who scouted out potential PK targets. The fact still remained that Kirito could not bear to see another person shatter into that horrid death animation. He couldn't just let another person die. Even as he watched, the bar dipped below five percent.

And for some reason, he didn't believe the man was a player killer. Some sixth sense reassured him of his innocence.

His decision was made in a split second. Dashing out from behind his cover, he ran towards the two, startling the one who was still conscious. Ignoring the man's shout of surprise and the sound of a dagger being drawn, he called out his inventory and withdrew a «Healing Crystal». A shower of blue particles appeared and coalesced into a hexagonal red crystal, shot through with streaks of gold. Although these items were more common than they had been several floors ago, they were still very valuable and had a high market price.

Still, Kirito had no qualms about mashing the crystal against the man's face and tapping it. The system registered the motion for activating the crystal, and it shattered into red light. It hung motionless in the air for a few seconds, then as if the man was a black hole, streaked towards him and covered his body in a crimson healing glow. Immediately, the man's HP stopped, bar quivering at around two percent, and immediately shot up at an alarming rate.

Almost dead, red, yellow, green, full. The bar hit the end of the HP container with an almost inaudible _tink_.

Something in that man seemed to relax. Even though he was unconscious, he seemed to understand he was not dying anymore. Some of the tension in his face eased, and he heaved a deep breath.

Kirito sighed in relief. He had seen how close the man had come to death. Had Kirito hesitated a second more, there might have been no person to save.

Then he felt the sinister touch of cold steel against his neck.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

* * *

"_No, no, no! You're doing it all wrong!"_

_He wearily scratched his head and sighed. "How? I'm sure you have to factor these out, right? Then I can get the X-intercepts..."_

"_No!" Jun waved her hand in indignation, then groaned and clutched her short black hair. "You CAN'T find the X-intercepts! They're nonexistent!"_

"_Huh?" All four of the boys echoed in unison. Four clueless voices._

"_This parabola does not, ever cross the X-axis! You see, if you graph it..." She whipped out her graphing calculator and punched in a few keys rapidly._

_The boys waited in silence for their execution._

"_You see!" Jun held up the calculator triumphantly for them to see. Indeed, the graph never reached zero, a levitating parabolic graph reaching offscreen. "I told you! It doesn't even touch it! Not once. If you try to factor it out, Sirius, all you'll get is an imaginary number! You'll get the square root of negative one! An i!"_

"_I see." They replied. A big lie._

"_You can't use imaginary numbers as an X-intercept, so you know this graph never touches the X-axis! It's a trick question, you can't find the zeroes of this equation." Jun waved her hand at the textbook lying open in front of them. "Understand?"_

"_Yes."_

_Another big lie._

"_So, what are you guys just staring into space for? Write down the answer!"_

_All four looked in tandem at their papers. Each paper was neatly written on with the same handwriting. _

_Jun's handwriting._

"_Um..." Makoto ventured bravely. "Jun, what do we write?"_

_Jun clutched her forehead, and all four of them shrank back, expecting some kind of blow._

"_You dolts." She rolled her eyes. "Of course you just write 'no solution'! Didn't I already tell you that for question eight?"_

_A mildly relieved silence._

_Jun's eyes narrowed. "Do you idiots EVER remember anything?"_

_They instantly answered. "Yes."_

_It didn't take a genius to tell they were lying. Jun's mouth tightened, and she pouted._

"_Sigh... I guess you boys are all just pretty dumb anyways."_

"_Don't say that, Jun. "_

_Katsumi's soft voice drifted over from the other table, where she was helping Soichi with her biology homework. The girl looked up and kindly continued, "They just need time to understand."_

"_Pssh, yeah, and we girls don't. I guess we're just naturally smarter than they are!"_

"_Perhaps you may be smarter, but please do not be so arrogant about it." Katsumi's tone took on a slight scolding quality. "You are one of the smartest people I know, Jun, but you honestly need to learn some courtesy."_

_Jun opened her mouth to reply, then remembered who she was talking to and deflated. "I guess... maybe you're right. Sorry."_

_Soichi looked up from her cells homework and Sirius briefly made eye contact with her. She gave him a small smile of encouragement, and the silver-haired youth felt a slight fluttering in his heart. Her long, chestnut hair shifted as she swiftly lowered her head and continued working on her homework as Katsumi looked back at her._

"_I'm sorry, Jun", Sirius dipped his head. "We'll pay more attention next time."_

_Jun blanched, taken aback by his frankness. Then she recovered. "Well, see that you do. I don't want to teach you all a second time."_

_Makoto, Susumu, and Hayato all nodded rapidly, eager to move on to the next question in their homework. With a sigh at their helplessness, Sirius reached out and dragged the textbook closer to them._

_27) What is the domain of the following function? y = (x-3)/(x^2 - 6x + 5)_

_The boys stared blankly at the question, then switched their deadpan gazes to Jun._

_She sighed. "Sometimes I wish I didn't get so darn irritated."_

* * *

Kirito froze, knowing that if he made the wrong move, he could quite possibly die. The neck was a weak point; damage inflicted there was multiplied, and the numeral for the neck was high enough to constitute a one-hit kill.

The man's voice was icy, cold, suspicious. Tinged with a slight foreign accent that made his words sound all the most threatening.

"I'll repeat. Who are you, and what do you want? Answer now."

Kirito swallowed, then slowly said, "I was just passing by, and I saw you two. He..." He gestured to the prone figure the man was carrying. "...was about to die, I can't just let anyone die."

"I don't believe you."

Kirito was startled into silence.

The man prodded with his knife, and when he spoke, his tone was slow and menacing. "Why would you just help us? You must, must have some kind of ulterior motive... are you planning to assassinate us? You want our items? Our information? Go away, I know your kind. Before I really hurt you."

The sheer unfriendliness of the man shocked Kirito, and he indignantly furrowed his brow and and protested, "Is it really that alien to you? Helping people when they're in need, what's wrong with helping people?"

The man didn't respond. Both of them didn't move for several seconds.

Then he lowered the knife. Kirito stepped back.

"Who are you?"

"I was just hunting in the area. My name is Kirito."

The man slowly let down the unconscious one on his shoulder. "If you do anything, anything, to harm my son, I will make sure you suffer for it."

"You son?" Kirito blurted out in surprise. But then he looked more closely at both of their faces, and he could see evidence behind the man's words. It would explain why they looked so alike.

"Yes. My son. If you hurt him..."

Kirito raised both hands. "Yes, I understand."

The man laid his son out on the ground before slumping, apparently exhausted. Kirito realized he must have been very worried to actually become exhausted like that; the only fatigue in this world came from mental strain.

"Are you okay?"

"I am fine, but my son... I don't think he is."

Kirito's ears perked, and he straightened, looking around. It was highly unlikely monsters would pass by this place, but one could not take any chances. "We need to leave, it isn't safe here. Monsters could set upon us. Are you guys at a safe level?"

"It's commonly known that ten levels above is considered safe, correct? No." The man shook his head, knife still in his hand. "We were traveling in a party. Safety in numbers."

"Why are you alone then? What happened to the party?"

He replied shortly and bluntly, "It was wiped out by Player Killers."

Kirito nearly dropped his sword. "What!?"

"Later." The man, the father, shouldered his son and stood up. "It's not safe here, as you said. If you really just want to help... let's leave. It's not just monsters, we're probably being chased. We're the only survivors."

Kirito could scarcely believe it. Organized player killers taking out parties? Even near the front lines? Surely that was not possible?

Ever since the game had become a death game, an unspoken fact had appeared in everyone's minds: Player killing is akin to murder. Because the NerveGear would fry the victim's brains, a killer in game would become a killer in real life. The two might have have had different meanings before, but now they were the one and same.

Every now and then, there was the odd PK. Maybe by accident, maybe on purpose. But organized parties of those willing to kill attacking other groups of players? From what the father had said, _We're the only survivors_, it was most likely everyone else had died.

A mass murder.

"But then-"

"Not now. We have no time, they could be hot on our tail. You should hightail it out of here, kiddo. They'll kill you too if they catch us. This doesn't involve civilians."

The man rattled out the words like an army commander and ran in the general direction of the town. Kirito suddenly realized something and grabbed him by the hand, stopping him.

"What in the blazes-"

"You're heading straight into a «Nepent» nest. If you're really being chased, you're going to be delayed long enough for them to catch up. I know the general area, there are a lot of these nests around."

The man cursed. "Darn it!"

"But I know the way around here. I know the closest way back to the nearest town, «Friben». Hurry, follow me."

Kirito glanced back the way the two had come from. Just barely, picked up by his «Searching» skill, he could discern several faint cursors. Squinting, they focused into the dreaded color of orange.

It seemed the man's story did hold some water.

The diamonds slowly fanned out, in a common searching pattern. Searching for them, most likely.

"I can see them. They have orange cursors, they're in a group, they're definitely Player Killers. Come on."

The father looked suspiciously at him. "My son has an orange cursor too. He could be one of them, we could be baiting you into a trap. Why do you do this for us, complete strangers?"

"Because I don't think you guys are bad people. I just know." Kirito honestly replied, then he looked back behind him; the cursors were closer. "This way... hurry!"

He pulled the man in the direction of «Friben», taking careful note to plan a path far enough around the «Nepent» area to not draw any aggression.

With mostly silent steps, he stepped into the undergrowth, pushing aside the branches and pulling the two strangers in with him. He quietly listened to his own breathing; loud and hard. He could feel his ability to think being clouded by his tension. While he knew he was overreacting, the news and the orange cursors of their pursuers still unnerved him. The thought of someone willing to kill another was too much for him.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Kirito paused. He pointed out the nest, then beckoned his followers.

The man squinted in the direction, then nodded as he saw the cursors. He moved more willingly now, seeing a little bit of concrete truth in the young boy's words.

They vanished among the trees long before the owners of the cursors they saw showed up behind them.

* * *

"_Sirius, you okay?"_

"_Hrk..."_

_Sirius gasped and gritted his teeth as he clutched his leg, an ominous numb feeling spreading from where he knew something had gone wrong. The guy was already apologizing, frantically waving his arms at the nearby coach. _

"_Sorry, I couldn't stop when you stumbled, sorry I stepped on your leg, are you okay? Man, I'm terribly sorry!"_

"_That looks serious." He sensed Makoto crouch down and gently poke at his leg. The slight touch caused him to shiver, a lance of pain racing up his leg. "You'll need a cast for a few months or so. No more track meets for you this season, then."_

"_Heh... that stinks." Sirius closed his eyes and continued to lay down on the ground. He knew the slightest movement of his leg would cause more pain than what he was already experiencing. "I'll need a doctor for sure."_

"_Hey, Sirius! What's wrong, man?" _

_Makoto quietly explained to Susumu, who had stopped beside them. "He tripped and fell, and the guy behind him accidentally stepped on his leg with enough force to break it."_

"_Shoot, that sucks. Sirius! I never thought you were this fragile, come on! You're stronger than this! Weakling." Susumu knelt and did the "I'm looking at you" motion with his index and middle fingers. "Heh, don't die on me, man. I'm still not done with you."_

_The corner of Sirius' mouth twitched. He knew Susumu didn't mean what he said; he was just trying to cheer him up. He could tell Susumu was worried through the jerkiness of his movements and the tightness around his eyes. "Don't worry. I won't."_

"_Make sure you don't. I'll hunt your soul down till the end of time if you do!"_

_They were beginning to cause a holdup, as the rest of the track members slowed down to look at the spectacle. Sirius became mildly self-conscious and realized they were blocking the inner lane of the track._

_Makoto realized this as well. "We'll have to move Sirius off the track before the ambulance arrives."_

_Sirius groaned, partly due to the sudden flaring of pain from his leg, partly due to the realization his leg would hurt even more. Still, he realized he should. "Alright..."_

_He tried to sit up, but fell back as the numbness faded and was replaced by an agonizing spiky feeling in his leg. Determined, he did not look at his leg, knowing his brain would amplify the pain if he looked. _

"_Here..."_

_He felt an arm around his shoulders, and Makoto gently lifted him up, minimizing the movement of the broken leg. Sirius tensed, but the pain he felt was less than before._

_Carefully and slowly maneuvering him around, Makoto gradually moved him off of the track onto the faux grass that covered the inside of the track, forming the football/soccer field. Attempting to cause as little pain as possible, he laid Sirius down on the grass with ease; he was quite strong, perhaps around six feet tall._

_The coach had reached them by now, talking animatedly into his phone._

"_...yes, broken leg, it appears. We'll need someone to get him to the hospital right now, I can see the tip of the bone, there's a bit of blood - Makoto, can you tie this around his knee joint? Stem the blood flow." The coach handed Makoto a towel and continued speaking. "Immediately? Thank you. Please hurry."_

_Makoto looped the towel around Sirius' leg and drew it tight. Sirius gasped, but then felt a slight numbing feeling around his leg that dulled the pain. Susumu, face drawn tight in a rare uncharacteristic expression of worry, wiped the sweat off his face with another towel._

"_Thanks, guys."_

"_No problem. We do this for each other. We're friends, aren't we?"_

"_I'm only doing this so you can live and pay me back those two pizzas you owe me."_

_Sirius' eye twitched. "I already gave you them, last week. Remember?"_

"_Eeeeeeeeeh- I'm just messing with you, man. Glad to see your head's still working. I remember I broke my leg once, it hurt so bad, I was just screaming like a little girl. Couldn't think clearly at all. Boy, wasn't that embarrassing."_

_All of them cracked a smile at this. The coach glanced at his watch. "They'll be here in a few minutes." Then he turned and shouted at the other runners, roaring at them to stop gawking and to get back to running._

_Makoto checked the towel, then tightened it a little more. Sirius could feel his blood flow almost ceasing, and the pain lessened even more. He dared a little to look at his leg; it was bent at an unnatural angle, at an area that wasn't meant to be bent. The sight made him nauseous._

"_Steady, now. Don't look, you'll make it worse." Makoto quietly chided._

"_When I looked at my leg that time, boy, I blew out everyone's eardrums for sure. Except for mine, of course. I'm just perfect like that, but everyone else just died. Poor guys-"_

"_Susumu, I know you're trying to cheer him up, but perhaps he just needs some rest right now."_

"_Oh." Susumu seemed to shrink. "Okay."_

_Sirius chuckled, even though it hurt a little. "It's alright guys. Don't ever change."_

"_Hey, you can laugh after all!" Susumu seemed to revitalize almost immediately. "Of course I won't! I exist to make people happier. Can't exist without a purpose."_

"_Um..."_

_Sirius looked up to see the runner who had been running behind him, and accidentally broke his leg. _

"_It's alright." Sirius interjected before the boy could continue apologizing. "It's fine, it was not your fault."_

_The boy opened his mouth, then closed it in surprise. Before he could react, however, the coach put an arm around him and led him off._

_His eyes screwed shut for a moment at a sudden arrow of fire shooting up his nerves and into his brain. "I hope he doesn't get punished too badly, it wasn't his fault... if anything..."_

"_Sirius, I hope so too, but you shouldn't be talking." Makoto sighed. "You shouldn't move, Sirius. Rest."_

_Sirius considered the wisdom of his words, then conceded. "All right."_

_The three lay in companionable silence for a long while. Sometime during the interlude, Sirius began to feel the full brunt of the pain, numbness fading away. His breathing quickened and his brow shined with sweat._

_Makoto noticed this and reassured him, "It's going to be alright, Sirius. Just don't make any sudden movements or anything, the pain won't grow."_

"_Alright..." Sirius grunted._

"_Here's the ambulance."_

_Sirius looked up to see a few men in white uniforms carrying a stretcher, running towards them. He relaxed slightly, tense muscles unknotting, even though he knew he would feel slightly more agony._

_He inadvertently looked towards his leg, and his heart jumped. It was pretty bloody, to say the least. The tip of the broken bone could be seen poking out of the skin._

"_This is bad." He murmured in surprise. The realization caused him to gulp and clench his fists, as the agony seemed to amplify._

_Makoto frowned before realizing what Sirius had done. "You shouldn't have looked. I didn't want you to know, it would have been less painful that way."_

"_Hrm, yes it might... hrk..." Sirius looked away from the frightening spectacle. "Thank you for helping me."_

"_I already said, no problem. It's what friends do for each other." Makoto smiled worriedly. "We help."_

* * *

They stumbled out of the trees an hour later, both of them panting. Not from the running, but nervousness. The young man being carried shuddered for a moment as the stopped moving.

Kirito looked back the way they came, stretching his «Searching» skill to the limits of what he could currently do. His eyes flicked back and forth, alert for any sign of the orange cursors among the green foliage. He did not see anything.

The trees and leaves rustled for a full minute as Kirito made sure they had lost their pursuers.

With a sigh, he dropped back and sat on the green ground. Only now did he realize he had actually been strained, muscles all scrunched up from tension. The thought of people actively murdering others had spooked him.

"Did we lose them?"

The man grated out the words, tone tense. Perhaps even fearful. Kirito looked up.

"Yes. I can't detect their cursors anymore, and I have a pretty high «Searching» skill level. They aren't around anymore."

Slowly, the father let his son down onto the ground. "Good. We should be safe then?"

"I should think so." Kirito peered back into the forest. "I took several confusing paths that should lose them if they don't know about them. They most likely gave up."

"I doubt it. They looked far too organized and determined to give up on us. But I suppose we have some time."

Kirito looked over at them, at the cursed orange cursor the son carried above his head. The mark of a criminal player.

"Time... I think we have enough for you to explain to me what happened. What happened and how does your son have an orange cursor. I... feel, I know, somehow, that you aren't bad people, he doesn't deserve that cursor... what happened?"

The father paused, as if he didn't expect this. Of course he had, but he seemed reluctant to share the information. Then he sighed in resignation.

"...You saved our hides there, I suppose you deserve to know. Hmm."

He fell into a deep silence, composing his thoughts before beginning his story.

"We were a part of a party looking to hunt this boar thing for experience and a food reward. I don't think our objective matters all that much, but we were questing somewhere in the Northern Areas..."

Kirito bit his lip, guessing, most likely correctly, they had been looking for the same target he had. This floor had been one of the last ones explored during the beta, so Kirito had known its exact location, but that party apparently didn't. They were searching pretty far from the boar's spawn point.

"Well, we entered this small valley place, sort of a dip in the ground with moderately high sides? I was pretty stupid, I suppose, that was a prime ambush spot. They attacked there, from under cover, from behind and in front of us. We were essentially trapped in the valley. They began to hem us in and killed two people, one lagging behind and our vanguard up ahead."

He paused to take a breath, then glanced around. Kirito also looked around, but he didn't sense any cursors nearby.

"We were caught off guard. Some of us tried to fight back, but we were highly disorganized. They had the advantage of surprise and position, as well as having good teamwork, I suppose. We were falling over each other in panic."

"There were around ten of them, I think. Seven ahead and three behind, but they were all green cursors. Most likely this was their first PK attempt in this game, but they knew what they were doing, probably did it before in other games as they seemed well-versed in the art... We numbered six, and two of us died almost immediately. We tried fighting back-to-back, but then my son and I decided to try to make a break for it. We charged straight at the three people guarding the rear entrance to the valley."

"I attacked them first and forced them aside, but it was three against two, and we couldn't break through. I don't remember clearly, but I think... I think my son slew them all."

_Three kills..._

Kirito quickly recalled that three infractions resulted in an orange cursor for a week. Five criminal actions would permanently stain your cursor orange, and with the death game setting of SAO and the inability for an orange to enter «Area Protection Code» protected areas, that was highly dangerous.

"His cursor flashed and turned Orange. We were both stunned for a moment, and my son collapsed. See, he's a good kid, one of the best there is. He abhors killing, and I think it was too much for him... I grabbed his arm and tried to run after that. However... they had overwhelmed the other two of our party and were already coming at us. One of them was faster than the others, he was a spear user. He managed to stab my son several times before we could react."

His voice tightened. "I left my sword in his shoulder, but I don't think he died... I picked up my son, he was twitching, and just ran for it. I don't know, we just evacuated as fast as we could out of there, but I was sure they were still chasing us. I saw how professional their actions were, they aren't the kind to let a target escape."

"And I think that leads us to when we met, I believe."

"...to think that..."

Kirito leaned back and looked up at the sky. Troubled, he let out a big sigh as the father lowered his head. He decided to trust his instincts and believe their story.

The thought of organized PK had always been lingering on the outskirts of Kirito's mind. Like any other MMORPG, it had always been a possibility. Many games had guilds dedicated to the slaying of other fellow players. Kirito had encountered these kinds of groups before, usually on terms that could have been much better.

But SAO was a death game. In Sword Art Online, death in-game meant death in real life. In essence, murder. Everyone knew that, as everyone had been at that fateful tutorial on the first day of Aincrad. Which meant these people had the mindset and will to actually kill others.

And they were targeting these two people...

Seized by a sudden spurt of fear, he whipped his head around and scanned the area again for any sign of the PKers. Then he shook his head and forcefully calmed his crazily beating heart. He was just being paranoid: there wasn't anyone there. Nor should there be, Kirito had already said himself he had taken measures to lose them for sure.

And the son...

He knew the guy had killed in self-defense. He himself had, intuitively, guessed the man was not at fault. It was the fault of the PKers, and they most likely had deserved what they got. But still... killing was not right. At all.

Killing PKers... killing those with orange cursors...

"Wait." Kirito scrambled to his feet. "If you attack and kill someone with an orange cursor, your cursor shouldn't turn orange as well."

The father had started at his sudden movement, but simply shrugged at the point. "I've already told you. They were green... now they're orange from killing the rest of our party."

Kirito blinked before remembering that part of the man's story. Slightly abashed, his sudden suspicions died down.

"What is your name again, sonny?"

The question startled Kirito, causing him to flinch. The father tilted his head to the side, still facing his son and eyeing him out of the corner of one eye neutrally.

"I-I'm Kirito."

"Kirito... it's a good name. I am Cadmus." Cadmus' eye flicked back towards his son.

"..."

"What are you going to do now? Do you need-"

"No. It's fine." Cadmus frowned. "I can take care of both of us. I just needed some time to put some distance between us and our pursuers, and we have managed that."

Kirito opened his mouth to protest.

"And you'll be in deep trouble if you're seen with an orange cursor, no?" Cadmus sighed. "In addition, that will make you a target of those PKers. We shouldn't involve you in this. It's not your problem."

Kirito abruptly blurted out, "It is my problem if they're killing people. I won't allow it."

He quickly covered his mouth, afraid he might have offended the man. But to his surprise, Cadmus quietly chuckled. A low, deep, rumbling sound that might have indicated some measure of mirth.

When the chuckles subsided, he murmured, "You sound just like my son here." He indicated the man resting on the ground beside him.

At loss for words, Kirito stayed silent.

"You should go. I recognize this area now... I think. This Orange Cursor prohibits us from entering protected areas, correct?" Kirito nodded, to which Cadmus's mouth tightened. "Then we will have to make do, perhaps use this area's safe zone. It's our safest bet right now. We'll plan our next move from there when he wakes up."

"Um, are you sure you will be okay?"

"Yes. Civilians shouldn't worry about us soldiers. I used to be in the army, you know. I know how to take care of my comrades. I'm sure he'll wake up... my son will be fine."

The last few sentences seemed to be directed at reassuring himself. He started as if remembering Kitio was still there, and turned to look into Kirito's eyes. "You should leave."

Kirito could feel the thinly veiled command under those words. He stepped back, then asked, "Are you-"

"Yes, yes. I'm sure." Cadmus cut in as he anticipated what Kirito would say. "Kirito, you should leave. I'm not involving anyone else in this."

After a second of stalemate, Kirito nodded and turned.

"Kirito."

He turned back.

Cadmus hesitated, then forced out the words, "Thank you. For helping us."

"No... problem."

Kirito abruptly turned and ran towards the village. He could feel Cadmus's eyes on his back as he vanished into the foliage. He silently wished them luck.

_I do hope they'll be all right._

* * *

"_This isn't possible."_

_The seven of them sat around a circular table in one of Starting City's many inns. The dim lighting was provided by the ever-present flames, the fireplace and the torches along the walls. Flickering and licking the stone columns upon which they were hooked, the wavering light accurately depicted the mood._

"_Death? The NerveGear will destroy our brains?" Hayato stared at the table. "What is this? Real death? This doesn't make sense... This is madness."_

"_Nope. This is Sparta."_

_Nobody laughed._

_Susumu shrugged. "It was worth a try."_

_Silence once again fell upon the area. The group all stared at the table, eyes boring holes in the wood. If looks could kill, the poor piece of furniture would have dissolved into azure shards many times over by now. Every once in awhile, one of them looked hopefully at the others, as if they believed one of the others held a relatively simple and harmless answer to their predicament._

_It was wishful thinking. They all returned their gazes to the table soon after._

_A few hours had passed by like this. A few hours had elapsed since the conclusion of that fateful tutorial. The tutorial had only taken five minutes, yet because of it, they had been sitting around this table in such a despairing state for over forty times that._

_The fire crackled merrily, as if laughing at them. Sirius glanced over and looked into the hypnotic depths of the flames, as if something had interested him. Then, shaking his head to clear it, he sighed and thunked his head down on the table, a classic facedesk._

_The movement seemed to unfreeze time, as all six of his companions resumed blinking and began to move naturally again. Makoto scratched his head and grunted for no good apparent reason. Jun mirrored Sirius and thunked her head down too, letting out a deep, troubled breath. _

_Katsumi made no movement, seemingly calm and composed, but Sirius could see the worry in her eyes. Then, abruptly, she twitched, hands clenching and opening in a gesture that conveyed frustration. Hayato suddenly blurted out, "What in the world do we do now!?"_

_The question echoed in Sirius's mind. What do we do now?_

_The memory was all Sirius could think about. The crimson sky, the hooded GM. The deep voice of Kayaba Akihiko, emotionlessly, or perhaps with a slight hint of sadistic satisfaction, informing ten thousand people that he had rigged their NerveGear headsets to fry their brains. Should one's HP drop to zero, they would be erased from two worlds at once. _

_Permanently. There was no recycle bin for the condemned._

_Soichi sat next to him, eyes wide with shock, traces of tears down her face. Sirius raised his head and straightened as he looked at her, gently touching her shoulder in a reassuring movement. Soichi flinched, but caught Sirius's eye and smiled weakly. He nodded in return, before his attention was caught by Jun's words._

_"I would think we have either of two choices. Either we be safe and stay in this city until someone else clears the game, or-"_

_"Stay in this place? For how long!?"_

_Jun returned Hayato's outburst with a long look. "As long as it takes for the game to be cleared. If we want a surefire way to stay alive, we should not take a step out of Starting City. Possibly years."_

_"Years!?" Hayato yelled, then he caught himself and seemed to deflate. He sank back into his chair, suddenly exhausted. "I'm sorry. I mean, years? It will be years before I can see my family again? My sister, my mom, dad, my house, everything, everyone?"_

_"Looks like it." Jun, who was the youngest of all seven of them, appeared to age far beyond her years, shadows of worry of the future under her eyes. "If we don't want to die. Monsters cannot enter this city, I've heard. If we stay here, we should be safe. But if we fight, if we take a lot of damage, if our HP reaches zero..."_

_Sirius inadvertently flicked his eyes towards the green bar in the upper left corner of his vision. His name, Sirius, underlined by a viridian gauge. The numbers 250/250 inscribed in bold white letters underneath it. _

_250. 249. 248. In less than 5 minutes, he could count all the numbers, a final countdown until his death. When his avatar in this world would be deleted, along with his soul and his grains of life. Deleted and forgotten, tossed back into the grand design of time._

_Suddenly, his imagination got the better of him, and he wondered, what would death be like?_

_He had never thought about it or considered the possibility before. Which is right; nobody at his age or in his setting should be contemplating the feeling of the void. But now, faced with the possibility of the end, he forced himself to consider the notion._

_Imagining darkness, the end of it all. Would there be an afterlife? Would there be some kind of utopia he'd be sent to? He hadn't done anything notable as of yet, but he hadn't done anything wrong, either. Unless the fact that Jun had done most of his homework counted._

_What if there was no afterlife? If, like that manga he had read, there was no heaven or hell, "All humans are equal in death", and all that remained was nothing? He couldn't wrap his mind around the notion of never thinking again, his consciousness dimming and sleeping and never waking up again. An eternal, dreamless sleep. An eternity of emptiness, of no thought-_

_He just couldn't visualize it. Instinctively, he reached out under the table and grasped Soichi's hand, seeking a comforting touch._

_Instead of being surprised at the contact, Soichi instead squeezed his hand. Sirius guessed she had been thinking along the same lines as he had._

_"Either that," Jun continued, "Or we go out and fight. We join whoever tries to clear the game and make sure ourselves that we return home. To real life. We fight for our freedom."_

_"Of course..." Katsumi muttered, "If we do that, there is always the possibility of death. Final death. There are no respawns."_

_The room fell silent again. It was almost impossible to tell what everyone was thinking. Sirius rested his forehead on his palm, covering one of his eyes. With the other, he stared down at the natural intricate patterns in the wood he rested on._

_'Fight... for our freedom. With our lives on the line.'_

_It was certainly an interesting dilemma. So often had Sirius played video games with his "lives" on the line, diving into possibly lethal situations with no hesitation. And now, with his own life at stake, he had second thoughts._

_'Death...'_

_That was the problem. It was natural; all human being feared death. Because of this, in this situation..._

_He thought about his younger brother. His parents had always been away from home, so he had always been the one to take care of him. His stupid, cute younger brother, always causing trouble for him, yet always so faithful. Sirius had loved him. And now he was trapped on a floating castle, a world so far from his own, and he never even got to say goodbye._

_How would he face him if he never came back? How would he face himself? He simply couldn't think about it. He had to come back._

_Makoto slowly stood up. Even with this prelude, everyone was startled when he began to speak._

_"I may speak for myself... But I wish to fight. I do not want to just hide in this city and wait for others to free us all. This may be my pride speaking, but I just don't want to sit around and do nothing. I want to help. I'm sure we can fight, to help free those who are not as strong. I saw several children in that plaza... I don't want them to be trapped forever. So I want to fight."_

_He sat down. As if galvanized by the speech, Hayato reached out and pounded his fist on the table._

_"I... I'm scared. Scared of what might happen now." Hayato forced out through gritted teeth. "But I think... Just staying in this city will make me even more scared. If there's something out to kill me, I'll feel a lot better knowing I can fight it. Even if I have no chance of going home... I want to be able to fight back. I don't want to wait. I'll do all I can to get out."_

_"Well spoken, sir." Susumu stood up and slapped Hayato and Makoto on the shoulders. "I suppose I'll tag along with you then. Things are dull without you guys. Who would be the butt of my jokes if you two die a tragic hero's death? Gotta make sure you two don't go overboard, ya'know."_

_In tandem, all three of them looked towards the four who had not spoken yet._

_Jun's mouth twitched. "Well, I can't let myself be surpassed by you boys, right? A girl's gotta have her dignity. I don't want to be afraid either. Count me in."_

_Looking at their determined faces, Katsumi sighed, then smiled tiredly. "Who's going to take care of you all if you all leave? I guess I'll go along with you, then. Keep Jun in line, keep you all sane, hmm?"_

_She stood up and looked out the window set beside the door of the inn. "I... am afraid too. But, as they say, 'The only thing to fear is fear itself.' I don't want to be afraid either. I'll fight so we can get home as well. Someone mature has to protect you all."_

_Katsumi looked over at Sirius and Soichi. "Will you join us? I understand if you want to stay safe, but... it's your decision."_

_Sirius looked down at the table, thinking hard. Fear of death, the emptiness and nothingness, was a strong force. For a moment, he was tempted to say no. It wasn't worth risking his life._

_But..._

_To forever be trapped in this city, relying on others to free him, the idea of it made him reconsider. To never know what was going on or be able to fight for himself, the feeling of weakness. He would be reduced to nothing._

_All of a sudden, he was filled with an uncontrollable loathing, directed at Kayaba Akihiko. Because of this madman, their lives were in danger. Because of this man, so many people would die, so many others would be wracked by the fear of death. In this world, where being weak was fatal. Where they had to fight for their freedom._

_The feeling vanished after a second, replaced by a drive to grow stronger. To fight back against this man who thought he could do whatever he wanted with their lives. For a moment, he had complete confidence they would all survive to clear the game, and return home safely._

_Then he remembered death, and he thought about it again, before looking into Soichi's eyes. The girl had been staring at him the whole time while they were thinking. She blinked twice before smiling encouragingly._

_Sirius hesitated, then closed his eyes and nodded._

_Soichi looked at all of them. Softly, she said, "We'll fight too. To clear the game, for our freedom. We won't allow that man to dictate us as he wishes... we'll fight back."_

_Exactly as Sirius had been thinking. Always a man of few words, he simply nodded in agreement. Although he had hoped..._

_Katsumi closed her eyes. "Then we'll help. Should we start tomorrow? It's starting to get late... we could set out early. To begin."_

_There were murmurs of agreement all around the table, though as Katsumi and Makoto left to purchase three rooms for the night, the mood returned to being stunned, as many of them still could not believe this was happening._

_Sirius slowly stood up and announced, "I'll go outside... for some air."_

_Nobody around the table said anything in response, but they all blinked at the same time. Taking that as a "yes", Sirius slipped out the door into the cool night air._

_He waited outside for some time, then the door creaked open once again. Soichi poked her head out, looking both ways before spotting Sirius, and trotting over to him._

"_Soichi..." Sirius opened his mouth._

"_Shh." She placed a finger on his face. "I know what you want to say... but I don't want to be left behind."_

"_It's dangerous."_

"_It's dangerous for Katsumi and Jun too, no? Makoto, Susumu, and Hayato too. Even you. I should be no different. We're all in this together. Don't worry." She smiled. "We'll clear the game. We'll make it back to reality. For sure."_

"_You'll be safe here, Soichi. You won't have to cry anymore, you won't have to fear death."_

"_If I'm with you, I don't have to fear anything."_

_Sirius paused, hesitated, opened and closed his mouth at this statement. Even though she still had trails of tears on her face, Soichi giggled a little at his reaction._

"_The game will be cleared. We'll survive, we'll live to see home again. You don't have to worry, Sirius. As long as I'm with you... I'm happy."_

* * *

Sirius opened his eyes and stared at the dusky sky above him, through a canopy of trees. Streaked through with lines of gold, a grey glow lingering around the edges before slowly fading to black in the east. Of course, that was only the bottom of the ninth floor, but it sure looked realistic.

Sighing, he wondered when the line had been, when he had stopped thinking and had fallen asleep. He had been thinking about the past, and then somehow the memories had slipped into his dreams. Idly wondering when was the last time he had a peaceful dreamless sleep, he thought about the past that he had viewed again in the depths of his rest.

They had all been so adamant on clearing the game. Yet, looking back, he could see how foolish they had all been. Not even Jun, who supposedly had a really high IQ level, even thought about how they would fight. None of them had been a beta tester, and none of them had had the slightest inkling of what Sword Skills were. Neither did they guess it would be different from the other games they had played.

And because of that, they were all dead. Even Soichi.

He felt something wet form around his eyes. Grimacing, he reached up with one hand and wiped the offending drops out of his eyes.

_Carry on, and carry their dreams. They'll live on in me._

Katsumi and Makoto had the drive to protect others. Susumu always liked to keep other happy. Jun and Hayato always wanted to be the best. Soichi...

Sirius could feel them again. Growling out loud now, he furiously rubbed his eyes.

"Sirius?"

He jumped in surprise and nearly attacked, sliding his sword from his sheath and beginning to swing it, almost activating the «Mortal Draw» skill, but managing to prevent himself from doing so when he realized it was only Mane.

The sword halted moments before the «System Assist» would have activated. Mane squeaked in fear, taking a step back and tripping, falling on her behind. She landed with a small, "Oof!".

Lowing his sword, he heaved a huge sigh and sheathed the «Talis Blade» back into the scabbard on his back. Muttering, "Don't scare me like that," he reached out and grabbed her hand. With a grunt, he pulled Mane to her feet.

"Sorry Sirius... I thought something was wrong, so, I thought you needed help..." Mane swallowed and shivered.

Sirius offhandedly murmured, "It's alright" before noticing Mane was visibly shaking, as if she had a seizure. "Are you okay?"

Mane whispered, "Where's Kirito-kun?"

"Kirito? Uh, he's... off to get some food for you."

He had thought the mentioning of food would have calmed her down, but on the contrary, she hugged her arms around herself and looked frantically from side to side. She took a deep breath, but she hardly calmed down at all.

"Mane...?" Her behavior set Sirius on edge. He began to feel worried. "Are you okay?"

At first, she didn't reply. Then quietly, she managed to whisper, "Can we... go find him? I'm scared... Where is Kirito?"

She shuddered violently after she spoke. Alarmed, Sirius quickly patted her on the shoulder. He had never seen Mane like this before.

Then again, as he thought about it, Mane had never actually left Kirito's side before either. In the whole time he had known them, they had always been together. Going on quests together, eating together, sleeping... in close proximity, all together. This would be the first time Kirito had actually left her immediate area... out her line of sight.

Sirius wondered if she was in such a plight because she felt alone and scared? They probably couldn't hear each other's thoughts anymore, since they were so far away. Or maybe because they couldn't think the same way because they were in different situations? One in dreamland and one, most likely, in battle. Either way...

He checked the time. Almost four, they should start heading towards the village now.

"We're going to meet back up with him right now. Don't worry, Mane... Mane?"

It didn't seem like she was listening to him. Mane stared straight ahead, breaths deep and frantic-sounding. Gently, Sirius tugged on her arm. "Mane, we're going to see Kirito."

She jerked back in shock, then nodded swiftly, bobbing her head like a woodpecker's.

A little unnerved by her reaction and demeanor, Sirius cautiously stepped away and tentatively poked his head beyond the shimmering white line that marked the edge of the «Safe Zone». After making sure with his high «Searching» value that there were no monsters nearby, he led the way out, hand on the hilt of his sword. He gestured to Mane to follow, and after a moment of hesitation, she complied, gingerly taking one step at a time as if she were testing the waters.

She never strayed away from Sirius's side, eyes wide and staring all around her. Every little noise spooked her; half of the time she yipped in fear and pulled Sirius around in between her and the source. Because of that, they moved so slowly, and by the time they had reached the village borders over three-fourths of an hour had passed.

By this time Sirius felt slightly infuriated by Mane's strange timidness, but he tempered it down and snuffed out the emotion. It had been one of Jun's wishes, to not be irritated anymore.

It was a little after four, so the NPCs had not lit the town's torches yet. There was still a reasonable amount of natural radiance from the setting sun, enough to clearly see by. The game soundtrack, a multitude of violins, was playing a happy and cheerful tune, which curiously made Sirius feel like dancing. Which would have been highly awkward.

«Friben» was quite lively, players milling around buying their evening meals beforehand or just lounging around chatting to each other. Sirius had never really gotten used to this multitude of people after a month of ghost towns on the first floor. It still surprised him from time to time.

Threading his way between several pedestrians, he drew out his menu in one smooth, practiced movement and called out a minimap of the town. Quickly plotting a course, he stowed away the window and hurried forward. Mane, not wanting to be left behind, ran after him. While she had calmed down noticeably after entering the village, she was still quite nervous.

Rounding a corner, Sirius spotted the black-haired swordsman idly leaning next to the door of the establishment. He raised a hand in greeting, to which Kirito nodded and jogged towards them.

"Did you complete it?" Sirius asked. Kirito nodded and gestured vaguely towards his belt pouch, silently communicating, _"In my inventory."_

"Yup. You're late." Kirito added, a mock glare on his face. Sirius raised both of his hands, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. Mane was acting weird."

Kirito frowned. "She was? What happened? And how about you, you feeling okay now too?"

Sirius hesitated, then shrugged. "I think so."

"That's good, I suppose, what abou-Oof!"

Kirito was interrupted rather rudely when Mane ran over and hugged him. The air crushed from his lungs, Kirito stumbled backwards before pinwheeling, regaining his balance. "Hey, Mane-"

Mane stayed uncharacteristically silent for a second before looking up into Kirito's face. "Are we gonna eat yet?"

Kirito wryly smiled. "Of course. I have the food right here. It's something special."

Mane's face immediately brightened and she began to comically salivate. Chuckling, Kirito patted her head and seemed to relax a little. Mane began pestering him about the contents of her dinner, to which Kirito simply shook his head and smiled.

Sirius noted she was no longer hyperventilating or showing any signs of her previous tension, as if meeting Kirito was a miracle cure or something. Perhaps she just felt alone and afraid? Abruptly, Sirius remembered the first boss battle, where Mane had collapsed out of fear. Fear of Death, Kirito had told him. Although not a serious, just now, she looked almost the same...

In any case, she looked a lot better now. Sirius shrugged to himself, dismissing the matter.

"Well, then, should we head back to the inn?" Kirito quipped, catching Sirius' attention. He realized he had been spacing out and staring, and he coughed in embarrassment.

"Yes, we should. We can eat in the room." Sirius's stomach growled, and he realized he was actually quite hungry. "Um, I'm hungry too."

"Heh, as am I." Kirito shrugged Mane off and straightened. "Come on, guys."

"Can I have a taste while we walk?" Mane pawed at Kirito's pouch.

Kirito nonchalantly walked off, towards the inn where they had rented a room. "Patience, young padawan."

The girl latched onto Kirito's back and gently poked his side over and over, highlighting each movement with a "Pweaseeeeee?" Every time, Kirito politely declined and Sirius sniggered a little bit. Mane was like the little sister of the group that they always teased.

The trio walked by several groups moving in the opposite towards the restaurant, most likely to go purchase foodstuffs for their evening meal. Most of them were happily chatting, a warm and inviting atmosphere. A far cry from a little more than a month ago, when most passersby were closed and withdrawn, an air of fear and anxiety around them.

Sirius felt a tap on his shoulder, and he tilted his eyes towards the boy next to him. Kirito was no longer looking so bubbly; his face was serious. Sirius sensed something was wrong. "Yes?"

"Today, while I was out hunting the target mob, I saw a group of PKers."

"PKers?" Sirius repeated.

"Organized PKers. They had hunted down a party and killed most of them. Some others managed to escape. I didn't see that, but I heard it from a few survivors as they passed by me. I saw their orange cursors, there were around seven."

PKers? This really was a serious matter.

"I was just thinking we tell Heathcliff and Diabel, right? Notify them. Organized PK is a very grave issue, especially since their actions are all real now, in this game."

Sirius nodded and rubbed his eyes. "That's true. I'll send a PM to Heathcliff, you should send one to Diabel soon as well."

Pulling them to the side, Sirius brought up the PM function and designated the recipient as Heathcliff. He was about to begin typing on the virtual keyboard that appeared in front of him when he hesitated.

"Where did you see them?"

Kirito thought about it for a few seconds. "Around the northwest quadrant of the floor. They were heading in a southeastern direction."

Mane was tugging at Kirito's arm, whining childishly. Strangely fascinated by the sound she made, Sirius shook his head to clear it. "So they were heading towards someplace near the entrance of the forest area?"

Kirito stopped whispering to Mane for a moment to answer. "I think so. They were also moving in a sort of search pattern. I had already gotten the item, so I had no trouble keeping ahead of them."

Pondering about it, Sirius sketched a rough map in the air with his finger and his mind. "Well, if the PKers are heading in that direction, perhaps we should go see if anyone's in the Safe Zone."

"The Safe Zone?"

"Yeah. It's a big target spot for PKers, you know. Lots of people go to rest there, AFK there, plus they would most likely be at low health. In a game I once played before, my friends... and I, we were all slaughtered because we went to get a drink of water while resting in a Safe Zone." Sirius rubbed his head in shame. "Although, I think nobody would be there at this time. It's starting to get late, and I never saw anyone nearby, so it should be empty."

Sirius pondered his words before amending, "Unless they're really adamant on training or have an orange cursor or something. If they were orange that would be the safest place for them. Right Kirito?"

No response. Sirius paused in his typing and craned his neck to look at Kirito. The black-haired boy was staring straight ahead, eyes wide in shock. Mane was blinking in surprise, pausing in her tugging. "Kirito-kun?"

He didn't respond.

"Hello? Kirito? Are you there? Is there something wrong?"

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**Author's**** Note:**

**Well, this sure took long. Homework's tough. Speaking of homework, t****he next update will be heavily delayed due to school issues (SATs and AP Tests, hoo boy). It may not even come for a month or two... my apologies.**

**Well, dun dun dun dunnnn, Kirito didn't know that. Oops. Sure to be battle scenes in the next chapter.**

**Why is Sirius getting all this screen time, you ask? Cause something baaaaaaaad's gonna happen.**

**As always, please leave a review in that box below. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**

**Well, until next time (which probably will be very far in the future ;-;), baaaai~**

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**Review Answers:  
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**First of all, the fact that Kirito did not get the LA on Illfang. Yes, with it, Kibaou's arguments would seem more reasonable. However, Kirito did not get the LA, yet Kibaou still argues against the Beta Testers, and even most of the clearing group believes his words. This is intended, it was to show the irrational hate that not only Kibaou harbors but many other players share with him. You can guess where all that hate will lead.  
**

**Second, I am completely aware that SAO does not normally allow its players to experience pain.**

**Third, I will NOT be ignoring dual blades. Kirito'll get his double swords, for sure. **

**And I think that's all... I think.**

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**Thanks to all my friends on the SAO chat and Rainbowlalaland for beta'ing this chapter.**

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**I may not have to do this disclaimer, but I'll do it anyways. *Ahem* ****I do not own Sword Art Online. I only own this story and any OCs.**


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